When Time Starts to Break
by Ninjagorulz
Summary: When Rebooted and the Tournament of Elements come around, Myrana struggles to keep everything in check. Time is falling apart, and she's struggling to make sure that Ninjago isn't going to be conquered by anyone. Yet, her mistakes come back to haunt her, threatening to break what little shards of self-perseverance she has left. (Sequel to 'When You're Afraid of Breaking Time')
1. Chapter 1

**It's been a while, and I have decided to post my first chapter in order to get inspiration. High school just started for me, and the stress of being in a larger school than I'm used to is hard to deal with. But I did get to see a 90% solar eclipse at school! Hopefully this gets you through whatever is starting for you too!**

* * *

"What brings you here to my monastery?" Garmadon asked as he opened the gate.

"Uh…" I dumbly responded, not prepared for the simplest of greetings.

"I'm not sure either, she just brought me here." Lloyd shrugged, slightly saving me. Garmadon looked at me with a stare of scrutiny before opening the gate wider to let us through.

"While you are welcome, there are no weapons allowed. If you have any, then leave them out here." Garmadon spoke, reminding me of the no weapons deal.

"I don't carry weapons. Thanks for telling me anyways." I replied, nodding to the experienced sensei as I walked in.

"I don't have any either. It's still nice to see you again Dad." Lloyd smiled as he walked in.

"Same to you, son. It has been a while since I have seen you Starlord." Garmadon shifted the topic to me.

"Well, I never really left town. Besides, I was under house arrest by Lloyd and my old friend. I also needed to earn money. There aren't many places where I can get a job. How have you been?" I replied, trying to brush off the topic.

"There is peace. That is enough for me." Sensei Garmadon sighed.

"Not for us. You always like to wrestle with me whenever I 'redecorate' your room!" Lloyd laughed, and I rolled my eyes.

"Because having stickers on my blanket is such a good idea." I sarcastically replied, playfully shoving him.

"What can I say? A few stickers here and there makes a room look great!" Lloyd teased.

"Sure, Mr. My-room-is-green-and-looks-like-it-came-from-a-cheesy-movie. Of course you'd know how to expertly decorate a room." I poked back, and Garmadon rolled his eyes.

"Of course, what else did I expect?" Garmadon complained and we laughed.

"There's a lot worse we could be doing, all it takes is a few puns…" I goaded, and Garmadon hastily refused the offer of puns.

"Whatever the case between you two, do you have anywhere to stay? You seem very prepared for some sort of road trip." Garmadon noticed, and I shook my head in response.

"Not really. I have my tent, but that's it. I'm not sure what Lloyd brought, he packed his own stuff. Admittedly, it doesn't seem like he brought much…" I noted, and Lloyd shrugged.

"I didn't exactly expect you to make us go on a walking trip again. You were also in a big hurry too, what was up with that?" Lloyd curiously wondered and it was my turn to shrug.

"Where I need to go changes on a whim's notice. Travelling with me isn't easy, and for good reason. You couldn't even make it to Jamanakai without passing out on our host's couch!" I lightly joked, and Lloyd rolled his eyes.

"Yeah, says the one who I can't leave alone for a day." Lloyd playfully responded.

"You know I'm not particularly stable, and you had really put me through a crap ton of stress that day. Next time you do that, send somebody to watch me. Contact our friend if it comes down to that again." I darkened the mood unintentionally. Garmadon seemed interested in our conversation, so I put up my own guards. That incident was between us three, I didn't want anyone else to know.

"You keep mentioning a friend… Anything I should be worrying about?" Garmadon directed at his son.

"No, Starlord just doesn't want me to say the name… Identity protection or something. She's very intent on secrecy for our old friend." Lloyd explained, and Garmadon seemed to steel up a bit more.

"Does the phrase 'Hands of Time' mean anything to you?" Garmadon demanded, looking at me with accusing eyes.

"Not much. I heard the name once or twice, but that's about it. Got anything to share about that topic? It would be nice to know about." I carefully replied, and Garmadon looked away from me.

"I'm afraid not. I suppose I should give a tour of my monastery, please follow me." Garmadon finished the conversation, and I was careful not to talk to Garmadon much for the rest of the night. He was kind enough to provide rooms, and so I treated him with respect. But our conversation gave me a way to get a clue for the next season, just a chance.

If I wanted to know about the next threat, then I had better work hard to get it out of Garmadon or Wu.

I started to write in my book, the personal one. The history book was filled out as best as I could. Dates were few and far between, but people with all of their accomplishments and faults were in there. Putting my pen to paper, I began to write.

 _I think Garmadon and Wu know something about the next season, "Hands of Time." I remember Wu seemed to notice something when I continuously talked about time. He must have shared those suspicions with Garmadon. I need to know, and I need to keep good relations with the Senseis. They ultimately decide what the Ninja may believe, as they are often their sources of ancient knowledge. I cannot allow them to place me as an enemy. Lloyd and Zane may be the only ones to doubt them, but Zane is a maybe. However, he is doomed this season, and I will not see him again until the tournament. Lloyd might try to warn me, but he will likely believe his father and Sensei's word above all._

I am afraid that things may start to slip as time goes on a-

"What are you writing?" Lloyd asked from above me, looking at my book curiously.

"It's pretty much a journal entry. Just all my feelings poured onto a piece of paper. Not too much interesting stuff." A lie, a big one.

"Oh, ok. Do you think you could ever read it aloud someday?" Lloyd wondered, starting to relax.

"Not for a long time yet, Lloyd. Not for a long time yet." I replied, staring down at my incomplete entry. Once more, I began to write, despite Lloyd watching me.

 _-nd I won't be able to fix it. I know that I'll be around until Ninjago ends…. But while I was on Earth, Ninjago hadn't ended yet. I have no idea when it will stop… Or what I will and will not be able to do. Things have already slipped. Small things so far… But as time moves on those small rips will become huge holes. I'm hoping that everything that needs to be done stays, but I can't guarantee them at this point. Maybe one day everything might finally be alright._

I pulled the pen away from the paper, looking at it carefully. This was something that needed to stay with me and only me. History could be lost, but my opinions could not. They expose my knowledge, and what good would the last human be to tell history if they are dead?

Closing the book, I put it into my pack, and I looked at Lloyd. He seemed very nervous, likely awkward from watching me write.

"It's kind of weird to see you write, and not understand a single word of it…" Lloyd hesitantly spoke, looking at my pack.

"It's a normal thing where I am from. I'm fluent in reading your language because I am fluent in the language you use. I can't actually speak it, it's too hard. The language has a static-like noise that you make with the back of your throat and it's really really difficult. I can't read other languages, only two. And that's more than what most people from my country are usually able to do." I shrugged, thinking of the many languages of Earth. Dutch was easy to read, because it was similar to English. Speaking it was a whole different story.

"Wait… So there's a difference between our writing and talking?" Lloyd pondered aloud.

"There is, and I'm not sure how the dynamics of that works. Anyways, we should probably get some rest." I finished, and Lloyd nodded. He left the room, and I went to bed.

* * *

It had been a few days, and Garmadon's scrutiny did not go unnoticed. However, I made sure that he was under the same scrutiny. I would often ask him about the "Hands of Time," and he would often brush it off. I think he doesn't want me to know about it, but I have to! If I want any chance of being able to survive beyond Day of the Departed, then knowing about the next enemy is a must!

"So how long are we going to stay? I feel kind of awkward being here so unexpectedly…" Lloyd asked, and I shrugged.

"We're just waiting Lloyd. Besides, I should let you know now that using your golden power isn't a good idea. You're a human battery, and you need to stay away from our next foe." I told Lloyd, trying to explain what he missed, since he never went to New Ninjago City. Hopefully the Ninja could get out on their own.

"What?" Lloyd fumbled out, confused.

"The guys will fill you in later I'm sure, but they're after you Lloyd. Your golden power is what they want, because it can bring things to life. I'm sure that's not an accurate description, but it's the best I've got right now." I tried to re-explain. I wasn't sure when the other Ninja would arrive, but I hoped it was soon.

"Alright… I'll keep that in mind…" Lloyd replied, a bit wary of my warnings. We walked together outside, wandering around the grounds again.

"Hello again son, and Starlord." Garmadon greeted as he strolled up to us.

"Hey Dad." Lloyd smiled.

"Good afternoon, sir." I replied.

"Anything interesting today?" Garmadon asked, and I shrugged.

"Ma-" I was cut off by a loud knock at the gate. Could it finally be the Ninja?

"I will get that." Garmadon quickly insisted before moving to the gate and opening it. As the door opened, it revealed the Ninja except Zane. He was outside protecting the Technoblades if I recall correctly. Misako and Nya were here too, but I paid little attention to them.

"Looks like our patience has paid off." I happily sighed, glad that the Ninja were still around.

"How'd you know they'd come here?" Lloyd inquired, finally catching on. I didn't want him to suspect anything!

"That's a secret Lloyd." I simply replied, starting to walk towards the other Ninja.

"Starlord?" Jay called out, and I waved.

"The one and only! Let me guess, big bad Napoleon is back?" I started, trying to start the topic of the Overlord's return.

"What? You believe the Overlord is back?" Garmadon harshly questioned as he sharply turned to me.

"Well, she isn't wrong…" Jay nervously started.

"He's back?" Garmadon incredulously spoke, his demeanor worried and unsettled.

"Yeah, he is. And what exactly is she doing here?" Kai stepped forward, barely tolerating my presence.

"She brought me here. We got here a few days ago. If she didn't bring me here, then we probably would have never suspected something happened. Thanks Sis." Lloyd defended, standing next to me protectively.

"Alright, fine. First, we've got to do something about the Overlord." Kai huffed, and soon they all started to talk plans. I could tell Kai wanted me to go away, if his constant glaring when he did plans was anything to go by.

"I'm going to go back to my room. See you later guys." I excused myself, briskly moving to the room Garmadon provided.

Sitting on my bed, I began to contemplate. I needed to work with Kai, and if he can hardly stand me being in the same space, then I'm in trouble. We've already tried to make amends, and that didn't work! What could we do? I don't think that he will be able to tolerate me too much longer, and we weren't even halfway through what I knew!

Treating him with respect and leaving him alone when he wants seems like a first step at least, try to make him comfortable. I know most people would want us to talk… But when we do it often ends in us fighting even more.

Even then if I did manage to make amends, it would be shattered by the end of this season and break him even more! He'd probably blame me instantly. We'd just have to rough it out, maybe I'll tell him someday, but that's not today.

"Hey Sis, Dad's inviting us to a lesson tonight. Want to join?" Lloyd asked, and I nodded.

"Yeah, I'd like to join. But, I want to make a bet with you." I smirked, and Lloyd lifted an eyebrow in interest.

"Really? You haven't done much betting lately…" Lloyd started, and I smiled underneath my hood.

"I bet I can get a piggyback ride of your dad. Ten Jyn!" I proposed, and Lloyd hummed in thought.

"Alright, sounds good. Though I still don't have pockets." Lloyd shrugged, and we shook hands in challenge.

"Still? I thought we talked about this… When's the lesson?" I sighed, standing up.

"In about half an hour. We meet at the main building." Lloyd informed me, and I nodded.

"Thanks. See you then." I thanked as he left the room. Getting ready wasn't an issue, I still kept everything in my pack. I decided to check my pack, making sure everything was there. Fortunately, everything was in it's place, including my two journals. I decided to look at my personal journal just for the nostalgia. My first entry…

 _Often times people give their diaries or journals names. I don't think I want to do that, for whatever reason I don't know. It's my birthday, and I got two journals from Vastu. He really knows how to give people small gifts with big meanings… No wonder he's like a dad to me. I should call him that someday soon._

 _Well, I guess I had better start with who I am, just in case someone finds and reads this or I lose my memories..-_

"Hey, Kai wants to talk to you. Something about a truce." Lloyd told me, and I looked up curiously. I closed my journal, but kept it in my hands.

"A truce? Wonder what changed his mind…" I muttered as Lloyd told me where he was. Kai was near the front gate, and so I walked to the gate, continuing to read the journal.

 _My original name is Myrana. I came from Earth, a world beyond the sixteen realms of Ninjago. It is (was?) populated by over seven billion human beings, and I was one of them. As of today, I am now fourteen years old, and I-_

"Starlord?" Kai gruffly interrupted my reading.

"Oh, hi. Lloyd told me that you were thinking about a truce." I looked up, politely starting the conversation.

"Yeah, the guys managed to convince me to try and make a truce with you." Kai awkwardly started.

"I see, their effort is appreciated… But knowing you, that truce would be broken very easily." I sighed, looking away.

"What makes you say that?" Kai asked curiously.

"Kai… I… I don't…. Hmmm… I don't know how to say this! Urgh, I can say this at least… There's going to be a lot of suffering for us all, and I know you're going to blame me! But it's not! I can't do anything! You just need to tolerate me now, and I'll leave again for a while after this whole thing is over. I'm going to come back of course, no matter how much I hate myself, but I need you to understand that a truce just isn't going to work. We're going to break it really quickly every time, and I don't want to hurt you any more. All I can ask is that you don't bother me too much, and I won't bother you." I sighed, trying to come up with a more temporary deal.

"Isn't that what a truce is?" Kai deadpanned, and I shook my head.

"No! That means you'd trust me, trust my word. I can't guarantee everything, and if I stepped one foot out of line you'd break me in two! I just can't handle that, I don't have the strength or stability for that. My emotions change wildly, and I'm still growing. I'm sorry, but I can't afford a truce." I sadly replied, and Kai softened a little.

"Look, I know I've been harsh on you… But that's because I don't trust you. I don't know what you're going to do next, and when you actually do something, it's always big." I huffed. He was kind of right, if my incident was anything to go by, "I just don't understand you, so I can't trust you. I mean come on, you've severely injured people here! If not for injury, you've scarred everyone. Including me…" Kai trailed off, remembering what he had seen.

"I don't mean to, it's just what I've lived with. Just tolerate me, that's all I ask. If you get bothered by me, let me know. I'll leave, just don't hurt me later okay? I just can't handle it…" I tried to comfort and warn Kai.

"Fine. Let's get to the lesson, we don't want to be too late." Kai agreed as we shook hands. He noticed my journal as I had to switch it to a different hand.

"What's that?" Kai prodded, looking at the simple journal.

"Just something to write in. It's a journal and I write my opinions in here. You can't read it though, it's written in my home writing." I shrugged, putting the book in my pack.

"Oh. Okay." Awkward silence filled the atmosphere afterwards as we walked to the lesson. Eventually we sat and waited for Garmadon, which eventually he came in. I was sitting next to Lloyd, waiting for when he'd fall for Garmadon's tricks.

"Welcome, I am glad you could join us." Garmadon greeted as he walked in with his bamboo staff. Lloyd politely responded with a smile and a nod. It was a small habit he got from me, but he didn't do it often. Lloyd was a pretty social person.

"Hey, check out the new sensei! Looking shar- OW!" Jay shrieked as he was hit in the head for talking out of line.

"Silence! Close your mouth and open your ears." Garmadon instructed and I sighed on the inside. That reminded me of those stupid motivational posters my school would put up. They were cheesy and I loved to be a narcissist and break their logic.

"Tonight's lesson is the Art of the Silent Fist. To fight without fighting. May I have a volunteer?" It was going to be fun silently humiliating Lloyd. Come on, he was my brother! Who wouldn't like to watch them do something stupid?

"How about me?" Lloyd volunteered in the most horrible voice possible. It was as if he were acting like Dora.

"The ultimate battle, round two!" Nya cheered. Memories of the pain I felt while being abandoned flashed back to me and I shivered.

I hope I never have to experience that again.

Garmadon noticed my nervous shiver, but said nothing.

"Attack me, but please no powers. I happen to like my monastery." Garmadon requested, smiling as he saw Lloyd's confident figure. Every one of Garmadon's students laughed, causing Lloyd to charge forwards with a predictable punch. Garmadon easily moved to the side, making Lloyd crash into the table behind him.

"You see? The key is balance, let your opponent fight himself." Garmadon pointed out as Lloyd stood back up to fight once more. Lloyd charged at his father again, staying within close combat. Quickly, Lloyd tried to jump-punch his father, but Garmadon ducked and pushed Lloyd to the ground with his back by merely standing up.

"Let the enemy tie himself." Garmadon calmly informed the children, while smiling. Honestly, who doesn't love knocking down a family member a peg for fun? Of course, we all still care, it's just fun to watch.

Lloyd clambered to his feet one last time before sending a flying kick at his dad, who just yawned and ducked. He looked back in confusion before hitting the pole besides me. The members of the Ninja team 'oh'ed in sympathy. I started to snicker.

"Fatality, Lloyd style!" I whisper-giggled.

"Pupils, I give you the most powerful ninja in all the land. The golden ninja." Garmadon taunted. Lloyd stayed on the floor for a moment, dizzy. However, he quickly recovered. Lloyd wasn't happy, and started to form an energy ball.

"Whoah! Lloyd, cool it. You agreed no powers! It's just a lesson." I tried to calm him down quickly, trying to make sure he didn't destroy the place or go against his dad's wishes.

"Oh. Sorry, I don't know what got into me." Lloyd sighed as he quickly got rid of the energy ball.

"You let the anger take over. I know that feeling well. Now! Let's divide into groups!" Garmadon ordered, but I was the only one without a partner.

"Got anyone else for me?" I awkwardly asked Garmadon, and he shook his head.

"I'm afraid it will have to be you and me. Why not have a go?" Garmadon accepted a chance for me to fight. Oh I was so going to win that bet!

I walked calmly over to the sensei, quickly trying to poke his face. I kept poking and poking, trying to find a pattern. He never retaliated, which had surprised me. Wouldn't he look for a pattern too? I wasn't experienced of course, but Lloyd had taught me some basic moves. Eventually I decided I should just go in for the bet, not worry about the lesson. I already knew what it was about.

Skipping in circles around him, I tried to find a way to confuse him, so I could win. The only flaw that I could really notice was the staff. If I aimed for his arm or hand, then I'd have a chance. Still skipping, I aimed for his arm mid-turn and he dodged easily. This was going to be harder than I thought.

Perhaps I could do more confusion! I decided to try to pet his head, and I saw a glimpse of that 'what-are-you-doing' face. Keeping my composure, I finally managed to pet his head, but it was more of a ruse. Somehow managing to keep my hand on his hair, I managed to get on top of him, I cheered.

"YOU OWE ME TEN JYN LLOYD!" I happily laughed even as I fell onto the floor.

"What?" Garmadon asked in confusion, looking between me and his son.

"I made another bet, and I won!" I giggled out, unable to stop. Lloyd came over to me, a bit concerned that I was laughing so much.

"Are you alright there?" He smiled as he helped me up.

"S-haha-sorry. I haven't laughed like that in a long time!" I drawled out joyfully, Lloyd chuckling along with me.

"Alright, I saw you managed to do it for one second. I'll give you the ten." Lloyd pouted, and handed me money. Ten Jyn like we promised.

"Told you I could do it. I'm actually surprised I managed to do that, I would have expected you'd take me down easily." I said while turning to face Garmadon.

"But that wasn't the point of this lesson." He calmly replied. I shrugged and we continued to spar. Garmadon noted quite quickly I had very little training.

"I would have thought that you'd be trained." Garmadon admitted as I tried to dodge his soft attacks.

"No, I never took any classes. Lloyd taught me some basic self-defense stuff, but that was it. I've just mastered the art of bluffing." I explained, and we stopped sparring quickly.

"If you are going to be around my son, I think you will need a bit more than a few bluffs." Garmadon replied, offering to teach me a few more moves. I accepted quickly, and he taught me a few moves. I became a little better at fighting, and I started to think that I should start classes after this season.

"Sir, Zane is at the front gate!" A small assistant informed Garmadon, and so we all went out to see Zane.

"What's she doing here?" Cole asked as we arrived outside, P.I.X.A.L. was still 'evil' and had been tied up.

"She had tried to steal the technoblades. Fortunately I stopped her. I also believe there may be a way to get rid of the virus in her systems too." Zane bluntly explained before holding out his technoblade. Garmadon stepped forth to stop Zane, but Jay stopped him.

"It's not a weapon, it just hacks into things." Jay rushed out, watching as Zane lightly tapped his blue technoblade against P.I.X.A.L.'s forehead. A blue glow emanated from her, before it subsided and her eyes were no longer red.

"What happened? Where am I?" She dazedly wondered, looking around with confusion.

"You were being controlled by the Overlord. How did you find us?" Zane asked as he untied her with ease.

"They mined Sensei Wu's memory, he knows all of you hiding places. But it's your son he wants. His golden power is the only thing that can let him escape the digital realm." P.I.X.A.L. informed, and I scoffed slightly in my mind. Sensei Wu did not know all of my hiding places, he wasn't exactly omnipotent.

"But why did Borg give us the technoblades? What makes them so important?" Kai quickly questioned, trying to get as may answers as he could. Garmadon looked a bit frustrated Kai got to talk first.

"Because they can reboot the system, wipe everything clean and destroy the Overlord for good." P.I.X.A.L. explained.

"What about my brother?" Garmadon hurriedly asked, worrying about Sensei Wu.

"He is fine, but I think there is something bigger to worry about." P.I.X.A.L. stressed, looking around worriedly.

"What? What is it?" Nya worried, stepping forth.

"I didn't come alone." P.I.X.A.L. replied, and everyone responded with a defensive stance.

"Where? Where are they?" Jay stammered, putting up his bandana-mask with everyone else.

"Nindroids." P.I.X.A.L. explained, and all of the metal copies became visible. Everyone but Garmadon and I started going on the offensive, while I stayed near the gate. Garmadon easily defeated his opponents, but I was struggling. I didn't have the chance to take out my wrench, and even then I wouldn't use it. It was too risky to hit them with metal, I didn't want to get electrocuted! They laughed as they approached me, and I was forced to walk back onto the gate.

"Crap." I muttered as my back hit the rough wood of the gate, and I tried to desperately come up with a plan. There was no opening for me to run through! What could I do… What could I do? Oh god one of those things was thinking of firing a laser! I could only do one other thing, and I didn't like it!

"Help!" I shrieked and the Nindroid fired the laser, barely missing as I ducked.

I hated calling for help! I was supposed to be one step ahead of everyone!

"I've got you!" Nya cried out as she defeated the nindroids with ease.

"Thanks." I rushed out as we all started to run inside, with Lloyd carrying Zane. The Nindroids followed closely behind, chasing us down the hallways.

"Anyone mind clearing a path?" Jay quipped, panic still apparent in his voice.

"The wheel!" I responded hurriedly, jumping in. I was so going to hate this. Zane finally started to move and Lloyd let go of him. Zane jumped in with me, and soon we were all crammed into the wheel before Cole knocked out the supports.

"Don't scream!" Lloyd whispered to me, and I nodded slightly, only to be upside-down within the next second! I squeaked, but kept my mouth shut. The world spun round and round, faster each time until we were flung into the air like a rocket! Adrenaline quickly rushed in, making everything so much worse! I yelped loudly, and then we started to drop.

Despite not wanting to scream, I did anyways as we dropped, tears flowing from my eyes. I was afraid! What else did you expect! The wheel jostled as it hit ground, and I quickly grabbed out my wrench as we stopped. The wheel was now sideways and lying still on the ground, I stayed silent now, but alert.

"Good thing they didn't realize we were on auto-pilot." Cole stated as he got out of the wheel. I stayed inside, fear and adrenaline causing me to think everyone was a threat.

"Yeah, but we're definitely going to have to move soon. They're going to notice that we used auto-pilot once they see the wreckage." Kai pointed out. A shadow appeared over me, and I held my wrench in a defensive position. There was just too much going on for me to process!

"Are you alright Sis?" Lloyd gently asked, and I realized the shadow was him. I stayed frozen in my spot, but I gave a hesitant nod.

"You have to come out. We need to move." Lloyd coaxed, and I shook my head. No, I was too scared!

"Sis…" Lloyd tried one more time, and I slowly got out of the wooded wheel, wrench shaking in my hand. He helped me out, gently guiding me out into the open.

"What's wrong with her?" Jay pointed out, and I glared sharply at him.

"I'm terrified." I replied, shuffling behind Lloyd with my wrench out in the open, ready to hit whatever came close.

"Fine, but we need to get out of here. The Overlord wants Lloyd's power and our technoblades." Cole ordered.

"But what if we split up? He'd have to split his forces, and it would make it easier for us to move." Lloyd suggested.

"Good idea. But where are you going to go?" Kai noted, and Nya spoke up.

"Zane's falcon knows the secret location of my Samurai X cave. If you follow it, you can grab a few things." Nya offered.

"What? But I thought we knew everything about each other!" Jay whined, and Nya laughed.

"A girl has got to have her secrets!" She smiled in return.

"Then it is settled, Lloyd and I will go together. After all, if they want my son… They'll have to go through me first." Garmadon said proudly, but I was still shaking behind Lloyd. After I had started to calm down, bad memories popped up.

Specifically, the day I fell from the sixth floor of that hotel. I was lucky that day, Lloyd was there. But… The 'what ifs' were coming back to haunt me. What if I had truly succeeded? What if Lloyd was there, but couldn't catch me? Would they have mourned? What if…

"Starlord, who do you want to go with? We don't have much time, you have to decide now." I swung my wrench, nearly hitting Garmadon who had asked me the question.

"O-oh, uh… Lloyd! I'm going to go with him…" I trailed off, my muddled brain blurting out the name of the person I trusted most within my current reach.

"Then follow the falcon. We'll see you when this is all over!" Nya cheered, while we began our journey. Suddenly, I remembered my hood could change color. I had forgotten over time, never really using the helpful feature. I changed it to a camouflage green, hoping to make myself less noticeable. We ran for a while before finally slowing to a walk, feeling semiconfident that the nindroids were gone.

Once we started walking, I took the time to attempt to clear my mind. I needed to calm down, or I'd make even more stupid decisions!

Breathe, and focus on the silence.

The silence brings peace of mind…

* * *

 **Myrana isn't invincible...**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HAVE A GREAT DAY!**


	2. Chapter 2

**I'm back with a new chapter! Boy oh boy, I've got to say this season is definitely going to be much more emotion based than my last story! I've got plans, big ones... After all, someone with her objective can't keep everyone on her side. I bet you guys will enjoy it, and I can't wait to write more!**

* * *

"Sis!" Lloyd snapped in front of me.

"Huh? What?" I blinked as I looked around. We were in a small cave, with a small shelter set up for the night.

"Are you okay? You zoned out for the whole trip, and were about to walk into the wall…" Lloyd explained, concern prominent in his voice.

"S-sorry. I guess I must have zoned out after the wheel. It brought back bad memories…" I softly responded and Lloyd sighed, his eyes seeming to soften.

"Right… But don't forget what I said. You're my big sis, I really couldn't imagine a world without you." Lloyd comforted, and I hugged him.

"Thanks Lloyd." I simply replied, but the message went through. It always did. I was thankful he accepted me and helped me off the ground when I fell.

And I always fell hard.

"Is there something I should know about?" Garmadon asked after a minute of us hugging. Perhaps he had gotten uncomfortable… So I let go and sat against the wall.

"Just some memories. You remember what happened after the 'Final Battle'..." Lloyd trailed off, sitting down next to me. I knew Garmadon wasn't convinced, he was smarter than that. Lloyd was also a terrible liar too, so it really didn't help.

"There's more to it, isn't there?" Garmadon gently pointed out, trying to coax out the real reason.

"Do you need any rations?" I switched the subject, opening my pack for food. I hadn't eaten in a while, and I suspected they hadn't either. But let's be honest, it was more of a distraction.

"Sure. Some food would be nice." Lloyd joined in the topic switching.

"You are hiding something." Garmadon started to close off, and I looked at him with a bit of amusement.

"And who's to say that you are not hiding anything? We are all entitled to our secrets. Who we share it with is our decision. You should know this well." I replied, muttering the last sentence.

"You are involved with my son, I should at least kno-" I cut the old Sensei off.

"NO! BUG OFF!" I screamed, closing my pack and running outside into the night.

"Sis! Wait!" Lloyd cried out behind me, but I didn't hear him run after me. Garmadon must have held him back.

Garmadon.

Stupid old man, didn't realize what exactly he was trying to pry into…

That day…

It's not for him to know about.

Running, keep running. Find somewhere quiet.

Stupid crunching.

Got to find somewhere quiet.

There! A small clearing.

Yes… Silence.

I sat down in the clearing, breathing in the pure silence of the night. Nothing but the stars above me.

Right, there weren't as many stars here as there were on Earth. Shame, there were so many pretty stars back home. They would twinkle ever so slightly, and the moon would shine beautiful beams upon the soft ground.

I missed that. The beauty Earth provided that Ninjago could not. For as much as I complained and struggled through holding memories of such pain, there was just as much if not more beauty that existed on Earth.

Breathe in, breathe out, breathe in, breathe out…

Enough reminiscing about home. What had gotten me to snap so quickly? I was better than this! I… Snapped so easily. Why? Was it because of that stupid coma? Stupid stupid everything!

Breathe in, breathe out….

Calm. I need to remain calm.

Think. I need to think. How will I be able to prevent this? I can't snap like this, especially in front of someone… Less forgiving than Lloyd and Garmadon. I have to keep this under control!

"Sis?" A small voice practically whispered. I turned to face the voice, finding Lloyd not too far away.

"Brother?" I called back, my tone seeming broken.

"Are you okay?" Lloyd reluctantly asked as he stepped towards me.

"I'm better. That day… It's just too sensitive for me to share with anyone else. Even though it's been so long, I just can't bring myself to talk about it. That wheel reminded me of the drop Lloyd. I got a bunch of 'what if's' stuck in my head. What I thought of wasn't pretty, and that's why I zoned out. When I dropped from that building… I-I can't even think about telling anyone else." I rambled out, and Lloyd approached me. Slowly, he sat down with me, and he slung an arm around my shoulders.

"I know. I get scared too. Whenever I look at you, I still feel afraid you're going to jump off of something and never return… But I know that you won't because I love you. And you love me too." Lloyd admitted, and I nodded.

"I do love you Lloyd, you're my little brother forever! You are one of my anchors, Vastu being the other. Without you two, I think that… Well I don't want to think about that." I sighed out sadly.

"You know, you've been out here for almost two hours." Lloyd pointed out and I blinked in confusion.

"What? I feel like I've been out here for only half an hour!" I exclaimed, dumbfounded.

"Yeah. Time really flies, doesn't it." Lloyd replied.

"I-I suppose it does. Can we stay out here a little longer? I'm still not sure if I'm ready to go back…" I softly asked, hoping that I could get a little more time out here.

"Of course. We can stay for ten more minutes, then we should go back." Lloyd agreed, and we continued to sit in silence.

As we looked up at the sky, I felt better, a little more at peace than before. The memory of my attempt still remained in my head, but it wasn't as severe. Lloyd was an emotional anchor, and he just helped save me from my bad memories.

Thank you Lloyd.

"It's time to go, my dad will get worried for the both of us." Lloyd nudged after a while, and I nodded in agreement.

We meandered back to the cave, a worried Garmadon waiting at its opening. I stiffened slightly, but Lloyd's reassuring hand on my shoulder helped me to relax.

"Are you alright Starlord? You were gone for quite a while…" Garmadon gently asked, and I nodded.

"I'm fine. Please, just don't ask me about that again. Anyways, I think I forgot to give you some rations. Here, let me get some…" I offered, quickly changing the subject. I opened my pack, quickly grabbing out a ration.

"Thank you, it is very appreciated." Garmadon accepted the food and started to eat.

"You're welcome." I replied, and I took out my sleeping bag. I frowned, what would they have?

"Do you have anything to sleep in?" I sheepishly spoke, and Garmadon shook his head.

"You're the only one whoever packs things…" Lloyd pointed out and I smiled.

"Of course, I have to. Besides, you _still_ don't have pockets! You would've told me if you did. Oops, getting off track! I have a tent, either you can use that as a blanket or mattress. I'm not sure which one of you would like it though… I only have one." I awkwardly finished, unsure what to do.

"I suppose I can take it, we already made makeshift mattress for Dad." Lloyd shrugged, and I sighed in relief.

"Sounds good! For a second there I was afraid that someone would not get some sort of comforter!" I nervously laughed, and soon we fell into an awkward silence. The silence remained as we all set up for the night. I fell asleep quite early.

* * *

"Sis. We need to move again." Lloyd gently pushed my shoulder in an attempt to wake me up.

"Huh? Oh. Alright, I'm getting up…" I yawned as I sat up, rubbing my eyes tiredly. I looked outside the mouth of the cave and found it was only a little bit before dawn. Sluggishly, I packed up the tent and my sleeping bag. Eventually I started to fully wake up, and I opened some rations. Passing a few to Lloyd and Garmadon, I tried to come up with some small talk while we started to walk.

"Did you all sleep well? I did alright, but I had a sleeping bag so…" I finally asked, and Lloyd hummed.

"Better than sleeping on rock, I suppose." Lloyd shrugged.

"Agreed. It could've been better but our beds did what they were meant to." Garmadon pitched in.

"I'm glad. A good night's rest is important." I smiled, but we soon became silent again.

"Thanks for sharing your rations, you've saved us a lot of time." Lloyd spoke up after a while.

"No problem. I do have standard to what I keep in here." I replied, remembering what was in my pack.

"You do? What do you carry?" Garmadon curiously questioned.

"I have two adjustable wrenches, a first aid kit with standard medications, my pen, at least two or three weeks worth of rations, my tent and sleeping bag. I have my journals as well, with a few pieces of scrap paper. That's about all that I have as a standard, everything else is something I pick up. I've got to admit, my back has practically become indestructible over the years and my stamina for walking is amazing. Funny, that reminds me of when I took you to the village…" I smirked at Lloyd.

"Oh no, we are _not_ talking about that!" Lloyd cried out indignantly. Garmadon laughed in return.

"An embarrassing moment? Please do tell Starlord…" Garmadon goaded and I smiled under my hood.

"After the 'Final Battle,' Lloyd and I set off to go meet up and stay with a friend far away. However, we didn't exactly have a car and using his dragon was _way_ out of the question. It's great that he saved Ninjago, but swarms of people were something we wanted to avoid. Then we decided to go on foot, and it took two days. On the second day, Lloyd had become exhausted when we reached our friend's place. He passed out on his couch as soon as we walked in!" I laughed.

"Aw come on, we walked forever…" Lloyd complained as Garmadon began to smirk in amusement.

"Uh huh. Coming from the _ninja_ who's supposed to be in peak physical condition! I'll believe that when pigs fly!" I joked in good humor. Garmadon began to full out laugh, enjoying the moment.

Eventually we all stopped laughing, continuing to walk. The land was starting to become a bit hilly, but nothing major. Greenery and food were still quite plentiful, besides my rations.

"So, speaking of past memories, have you ever used your sound training? I know I taught you how to do it, but I've never seen you use it in action." I asked Lloyd, curious about the small amount of training I gave him.

"You're right, I haven't used it too often. My powers kind of got rid of the need for it. However, your street pose does wonders for small-time criminals. Gives me a chance to take them down without hurting them too much. Spinjitzu is tough to use without hitting someone pretty hard." Lloyd admitted.

"Seems fair. I can imagine a spinning tornado of green hurtling towards somebody isn't going to be painless." I shrugged, and Garmadon hummed in thought.

"Yes, I have noted you and your friends often rely on their powers too much. Using such power should be a gift, not a necessity of life." Garmadon suggested and I lightly scoffed.

"The speech I gave Kai after the Great Devourer, you should've seen it! If words were bullets, he'd be riddled with holes! I don't think you were there Lloyd, we were helping with the mass cleanup." I reminisced, thinking about how I had berated Kai for complaining about having no powers.

"Really? I'll have to ask him about that…" Garmadon smiled before turning to his son, "You need to learn not to use your powers so often. If your behavior at my monastery is anything to go by, then you need to learn." The old sensei insisted.

"What?" Lloyd dumbly replied.

"He means no powers dummy! For once you're going to live like me, on the move with no extra powers. Lucky you have a helper with you!" I laughed, punching the shocked and motionless Lloyd.

"But I use that all the time, I-" He was cut off by Garmadon.

"And that is exactly why you need to learn to live without it. Starlord is right, you are lucky to have someone with good experience." Garmadon nodded in respect. I nodded back, giving him a bit of respect in return. After all, he went through a major reform in his lifestyle quite quickly, something I had to do as well.

"So I can't do anything with my powers?" Lloyd whined.

"No powers for anything. Of course your martial arts are still available to you, conjuring up fire and stuff like that is off limits. I guess that sound training actually might start to come in handy then." I shrugged.

"Sound training?" Garmadon curiously asked.

"I taught him how to sense objects with sound. He was really good at it, better than I am. Might just be a ninja thing, but he can tell where things are on top of a skyscraper in a busy city. That was when he was young too!" I nudged the green ninja and he awkwardly laughed.

"Were there any skills you excelled at?" Garmadon tried to ease into normal conversation. I sobered up a little, home was never something I open up much about. Lloyd looked a bit panicked, and I patted his shoulder in reassurance.

"It's alright Lloyd. I used to excel at math, once even being suggested to go to a different school because of it. I was well on my way to become a great scientist. I was already a grade ahead for my age, and being two grades ahead in math for those my age. I finished algebra one, but that's about it. I've continued my studies, going ahead at standard school pace. I can continue my math studies with no problem because math will always be the same, but science and every other subject I learned in school has been completely useless here. Forces of nature and other things I knew were to be the very base for the universe have been ignored here entirely, and if I shared my knowledge I'd look like some sort of insane child. Oh, sorry! I began to ramble, forgive me for that. It happens when I talk about home." I sheepishly finished and Garmadon shook his head.

"No, no it is fine. It is nice to see you open up. We've been passive aggressive to one another since day one, and to see such a leap of faith is surprising." He replied.

"I- Thank you. It is rare to see such appreciation for what I share. If the ongoing fight between Kai and I are anything to go by…" I trailed off, thankful for the kind treatment from Garmadon.

"Yeah, you two have been at each other's throats since forever! Everyone wonders why, but only Kai really ever rants about it." Lloyd agreed.

"It's because he keeps asking me about the dumb future, and if I know it. He just can't get it through his head to stop talking about that, my home and all the things that come with it are mine to share when I want. I know you guys understand that I came from a different dimension, even if we don't talk about it much. However, Kai is a pain with judging me for what I hide. There's a darn good reason I don't talk about my world too much, or about myself." I huffed, my past with Kai being a sore subject.

"To have a grudge is a bad thing Starlord. I know well from experience." Sensei Garmadon warned.

"I've tried to fix our problems! Endlessly he wants more and more, but I just am not ready to give it away! I'm not sure if anyone here is ready to face the nightmares my people have created. I can't make a true truce, because I need to be able to switch sides. There's things I have to do that might make people angry, but they're all for good cause. Heck, after this I will have to go into some sort of retreat. There's no way I'll make it through this crap unharmed." I started to mutter, and Lloyd put his hand on my shoulder in worry.

"Hey, it'll get better. Just keep your head up and be yourself." Lloyd tried to cheer me up.

"Naïve and young, all of you. This place really is the closest thing to heaven the universe could make." I muttered again, and Lloyd sighed.

Our walking trip continued on, the hills flattening out and turning to a land of sand. The heat became intense, and water rations were falling rapidly. The falcon still flew above us, it's sharp cry still piercing the air every while. It took two more days to reach the Samurai X cave, with little water to spare.

"OH MY GOSH AIR CONDITIONING THANK GOD!" I screamed jubilantly, flopping dramatically in the middle of the circular platform. Lloyd burst out laughing, and even Garmadon snickered behind Lloyd.

"I'll admit, the air conditioning _is_ a wonderful bonus." Garmadon relished in the cool air, along with Lloyd.

"Can we stay for half an hour or so? Please? It's just so nice…" I begged, my voice muffled by the fact my face was still planted firmly on the cold ground.

"I don't see why not. Go ahead and enjoy for a while, I'll figure out some of the controls around here." Sensei Garmadon shrugged, and I sighed happily. After a few minutes, I finally got off the floor, and Lloyd snickered again.

"Being a kid again?" He teased.

"Of course! After being out in that heat for so long, I can hardly believe you're still standing!" I teased back, and Lloyd smiled.

"I think it's a ninja thing. Do you think you can restock on water here?" Lloyd spoke, thinking ahead.

"Probably. If there's a bathroom or a faucet, we can check to make sure the water's safe." I shrugged, and Lloyd raised in eyebrow in question.

"Safe?" Was his simple reply.

"Pipes might not be great, might have rusted, water would be stale by sitting in the pipes and such, things like that. You never know Lloyd! There could be plenty of things in the water that might be bad. Simple paranoia and security!" I shrugged back, both of us starting to search for a bathroom or faucet to get water out of. I am glad my back has become very durable over the years, or I wouldn't be able to carry heavy supplies like water easily.

"Makes sense. Oh hey, I think I see a faucet over there!" Lloyd pointed, and I smiled underneath my hood.

"Yes! Good eyes Lloyd, that kind of observation will always keep you alive." I cheerily noted as I reached the faucet, turning it on full blast. Some water splashed onto me, but I was fine with it. After letting the water run for a short time, I slowed down the flow, and inspected the water closely. Finding nothing wrong with it visually, I took a small sip and found it tasted fine.

"Is it safe?" Lloyd asked worriedly.

"Looks good, tastes good. Nothing seems wrong with it, and I highly doubt poisonous items are given away freely to people. Besides, most people wouldn't even think to poison someone." I shrugged, starting to put the water into the containers we had.

"Great. I'd hate to have come all the way here and have the water be spoiled." Lloyd breathed out in relief.

"Agreed." I affirmed, and Garmadon came over.

"Found something important?" He curiously asked, and I nodded.

"Water! Clean and likely filtered to give us disease-free drinkable water. If we were at a spring, I'd probably have to sterilize it, but I don't have the tools for that." I shrugged, starting to fill up another canister.

"Good, at least we have a sure source of water." The sensei nodded in reply.

"How about you? Found any sort of transport?" I asked, hoping that the vehicle would fit me.

"I did, but it is meant to fit two and there are weapons on it." Garmadon explained, and I sagged a little.

"The lack of a third spot might be a bit of a trouble. Do you think we can add in a spot or make more room?" I questioned.

"No, I'm afraid not. You will have to get a vehicle of your own, or I will." Garmadon sighed, and I huffed in annoyance.

"News flash, I'm fifteen now and I can't drive. My Mario Kart skills probably aren't going to cut it, so we need to find you a different vehicle." I said, annoyed with the circumstances.

"I have my bi-"

"No powers!" Garmadon chastised Lloyd, and the two began to argue a little. I finished filling up the containers and set off to find a vehicle for the old sensei. He's old, but I know he enjoys fast. No weapons and fast would be best case scenario, but in a little underground lair of sorts with Nya building who knows what, that wish is pretty far-fetched.

Walking to the set of controls, I squinted at them, trying to find some sort of weaponless fast moving vehicle. At least some sort of organization to find specific vehicles! Finding something that vaguely looked like an organization button, I pressed it. The universe was on my side for once, and a complete chart of every item in this cave showed up.

"Okay, let's see… No, no, no, too slow, too many weapons… Come on, what can he have… Aha! Eureka!" I cheered, getting the attention of my two friends.

"What did you find?" Lloyd called out to me, and I turned to face him.

"I found a complete record of everything here, and I think I have the perfect vehicle for you, Garmadon!" I happily pointed to the vehicle I selected. Once the two came over, Garmadon was impressed.

"It's small and fast with no weapons! You've outdone yourself, Starlord. Do you know how to get to it?" Garmadon asked, and I nodded.

"According to this, it's an on-call machine, and we need to press this," I pressed a few buttons, "and voila! Your brand new speedy one-man machine. No weapons included." I answered, adding an advertisement-based accent to my voice while pointing to the new vehicle.

It was simple, shaped quite like a jetski but with a few extra additions. It hovered off the ground and had two rough terrain wheels on the back, prepared and ready to turn into a sports bike. It was a standard gold and red, but with nice silver highlights on the back. Small wings came out from the side, pointing forwards with a sleek curve. Golden spikes pointed outwards from the handlebars and all driving information was on the windshield.

"You're good." Lloyd smiled, and I shrugged.

"What can I say? A little luck is all it takes." I smirked, and we all smiled.

"Now that we have everything we could need, I believe it's time we leave. We've already spent a lot of time here." Garmadon ordered, and we nodded in agreement.

Lloyd jumped into the driver's seat of the larger vehicle, and I sat on top. There were two cannons where I sat, and the tires were like tank tracks. It was a lot like a mini version of the Ultra Sonic Raider, but without a roof for the person in the back.

Garmadon was in front with his vehicle that I have dubbed the Speedski. Pressing a button, the exit opened, and Garmadon was the first to go out, practically shooting out of the cave.

"Floor it Brother!" I hurrahed, excited to feel the acceleration.

"You got it Sis!" Lloyd cheered back, and we were off! The cave became a blur as my body was flattened into the chair, both of us screaming at the top of our lungs in the thrill of the first startup. Quickly, the vehicle sped over a ramp, as ravine lied beneath. We practically flew above the raving, bumping as we landed on the other side.

"I may hate heights and drops, but that was fun!" I laughed as we eventually got to a comfortable pace alongside Garmadon.

"Fun? That was extraordinary! I haven't been on something so fast and smooth for a long time!" The experienced sensei jubilantly replied, swerving to show his point.

"I've been on the Ultra Sonic Raider before, and I may have my bike, but I haven't done that in a while either! It's just amazing to jump across something like that!" Lloyd laughed out. Admittedly, we were all trying to some down from our short adrenaline highs.

"Where we heading then? Just some random direction?" I asked Sensei Garmadon.

"We're headed west, towards the mountains. We'll have a place to rest before we hit them, and beyond the peaks is Hiroshi's Labyrinth." He called back over the noise.

"Sounds good to me, now all you two have to do is drive. I'll keep a lookout." I went with Garmadon's decision, and turned the chair around to look behind us. I wanted to make sure nothing would follow us, and I was glad that Ninjago's logic made sure there were no dust trails behind us.

Currently we were stopped at a little farming area, where areas of land came up from the ground and carried water. Lloyd was sipping the water, while I just filled one of the canisters we emptied. However, as soon as I finished, I raced back to the vehicle. I was not going to be a liability when the MechDragon came! Not a chance!

"Hey Lloyd, look behind us! I think we've got a problem!" I pointed out the dragon that was hurtling towards us, a buzzing noise signaling its arrival. Lloyd looked up and immediately went straight for the driver's seat, starting it up flawlessly. I vaguely remembered it was supposed to have startup problems, but I wasn't complaining!

"Let's get out of here!" I ordered, and Lloyd floored it once again. The dragon gave out a mechanical roar, it's metal body looming over the horizon. But it quickly caught up, despite our quick and efficient vehicles.

"How can we distract it?" Lloyd asked worriedly, looking back at the dragon through the mirror.

"I've got these cannons!" I replied hurriedly, getting the weapons ready to fire, despite Garmadon's protests. Aiming it, I hit one on the head and one on the joint of the wing, effectively making the giant metal dragon mad.

"That didn't work!" Lloyd pointed out the obvious.

"I know it didn't! Find a setting or something, other than pointing out the obvious!" I yelled back, desperately looking for some other weapon.

"I can't find one!" Lloyd cried out after pressing tons of buttons.

"Then keep going, and I'll keep distracting the stupid thing!" I informed, trying to aim for all of the joints. Forget time, I was going to die if I got hit by that thing! I shot again and again, but eventually he got so close, I ducked to keep away from the saw on its wing as it flew just barely a foot above me.

"Crap!" I yelled out as it moved away, seeing the flag that used to stand beside me on the ground, shrinking as we sped away.

"Shoot at its underbelly, maybe it's weak there!" Lloyd suggested, and I soundlessly followed his order. Aiming as best as I could, I tried to hit the underside of the best before everything just shut off. Our vehicle came to a stop, and Garmadon's Speedski fell to the ground, launching him out of the seat.

"Dad!" Lloyd cried out, worried for Garmadon's safety. Lloyd hit the brakes, which still managed to work somehow, and we slowed to a stop. He immediately ran out, crouching to check on his father. I leapt out as best as I could, running to check on the old man. Garmadon looked okay, and he was slowly starting to sit up.

"Other than an ache from the impact, do you have any sharp pain?" I asked, concern filling my voice.

"No, no pain. I am alright, just shaken." The old sensei replied, slowly standing.

"Good. I have a few painkillers, if you'd prefer." I offered, but he turned them down.

"Since everything's been turned off, can we go back?" Lloyd wondered, and I shook my head.

"Just because the power's turned off, doesn't mean you're safe. They still have to reboot the system, and get rid of Napoleon. Moving is our number one priority!" I explained, effectively denying Lloyd from going back.

"She's right. If we stay here, there is a chance we may be found. Let us move forth, there are more obstacles to cross." Garmadon ordered, and we began to walk. Once again, I thanked my stamina for being so high, especially with a heavy load on my back all the time.

"How do you live without powers? It would be so much easier to use a dragon!" Lloyd whined as we walked.

"I don't have one, Lloyd. Best thing I had to move around Ninjago were people that decided to be nice and drive me around. I haven't hitchhiked since you've taken me in. I probably won't hitchhike for a while, I like to walk and keeping up my stamina is important. Besides, if I had to keep hitchhiking, I might just run out of stories to tell people! I've already told you and our friend most of the Disney movies I could!" I smiled, reminiscing about how I would have a story night every few weeks on Saturday nights. Disney movies were often told, as there wasn't much death or violence. After all, Ninjago was a very pacifistic place.

"Yeah, I remember those. I liked the 'Beauty and the Beast' story, that one was nice." Lloyd hummed, and Garmadon looked intrigued.

"I wouldn't have taken you to be a story teller. What brought you into that profession?" He curiously asked, and I shrugged.

"People wouldn't take money for taking me to places, so I told people stories as a payment. I have to pay my debts somehow." I answered, feet shuffling against the dirt.

"Wow, you've never told me about that! How often did you hitchhike?" Lloyd wondered, eager to know more about me.

"Heh, there's a lot you don't know about me. I think I managed to ride in four or five different cars, I think. It's a bit fuzzy if you ask me." I informed Lloyd, and he hummed.

"If there's a lot that we don't know about each other, why don't we do some sort of questionnaire? That way we can all learn about each other!" Lloyd suggested. I smiled, and giggled a little. Good god, it's like he hasn't aged a day!

"Sure, why not? We can pass on questions we feel are too personal or risky. Sounds good?" I proposed.

"Sounds good to me. Starlord, where was the first place you went to in Ninjago?" Garmadon asked.

"I showed up behind the 'Four Weapons' shop Kai used to run. Just popped into existence, then I ran off to Jamanakai." I replied, and Garmadon raised an eyebrow. However, it was Lloyd's turn to ask me a question.

"What was it like on your own back then? It must have been hard…" Lloyd slumped a little, starting to think back on my old days.

"It was… Different. I was a bit more objective back then. I hadn't quite come to terms with my appearance in Ninjago. I was more focused on observing you guys. Once or twice there were some incidents, and I struggled with myself, but now I'm a bit more in tune with my emotions." I struggled to explain what it felt like. Lloyd raised an eyebrow too, but it was more about my last comment.

"Fine. More aware of my emotions. But… I should've… I- I don't know. I really shouldn't have got myself wrapped in this…" I started to mumble. I was starting to realize my mistake of staying with the Ninja, and the implications I put on myself.

"You okay? Did I say something wrong?" Lloyd worried, putting a hand out to hold my shoulder. I gently pushed it away, stopping in my place.

"No. Just… I need a moment. I've realized something, and I need some time to think it out." I muttered, barely loud enough for them to hear. Garmadon nodded, but Lloyd looked disappointed that our questionnaire didn't even go one full round. Garmadon walked on, then Lloyd, and I meandered behind them.

I was stupid. I hadn't truly realized what exactly I got myself into. Becoming family with Lloyd was something I didn't regret, and I would do it over again if I was given a second chance. However, my concern was with the other Ninja. Sticking around them was a bad idea, our relations were very thin. Once Zane dies, Kai's going to go ballistic, no matter what I tell him! Jay and Cole… I don't know what they'll do. They'd probably go ballistic too, since they've been with Kai for so long.

Then there's Lloyd. I can't imagine what he'll do, and I can't survive too long without him! If Vastu got to me quick enough, maybe I'd have a shot of moving on. But other than that, I might fall back into that situation. I don't think I'm very stable anymore, I had been in a coma along with still going through my teenage years. There's just too many variables, and I know that I'm going to snap someday. I'm just not sure when, and I'm not sure how.

Then what? If we never become friends again after Day of The Departed, what am I going to do? Observe everything and have a high chance of getting captured or 'incapacitated' by the next villain? I can't do that!

A plan! I need a plan, or a checklist of some sort to make sure that I stay alive and still have a good reputation! I'll never be able to get down all of the variables, but I can at least try to limit the unknowns!

Opening my pack quickly, I pulled out a pencil and my personal notebook. If a list was what I needed, then a list I would make!

 _List of Variables in Life:_

 _-NOTE: This is to ensure a good life after Day of the Departed, DO_ _NOT_ _HAVE THIS TRANSLATED, READ, OR DESTROYED!_

 _1._ _Have multiple places to live with supplies inside._

 _-_ _Should pack be destroyed, have replacements!_

 _1._ _Once Day of the Departed is over, explain knowledge!_

 _2._ _Keep contacts with Lloyd and Vastu. THIS IS A NEED!_

 _3._ _Get books._

 _4._ _Save journals digitally, or create copies. (This is just in case of losing journals)_

 _-_ _All journals should be in English or put through a cipher._

 _5._ _Attempt to keep good relations with the Ninja, or as many as possible._

 _6._ _Learn martial arts from Lloyd._

 _7._ _Learn about as many ancient artifacts and other powerful items as possible._

 _-_ _Misako may be a good help, but is not recommended._

 _8._ _Learn about 'Hands of Time.' THIS IS A NEED!_

 _9._ _Stabilize mind, keep cool calm and collected._

 _10._ _Find a filter for knowledge, so Ninjago doesn't get any violent ideas._

 _11._

I left the last one blank, as I had come up with as many ideas as I could at the moment. There were going to be many more requirements in the future, but this was a good outline for something years away.

"What did you write your journal this time?" Lloyd asked as he walked beside me.

"Just a checklist. There's a few things I'm going to need sometime later." I shrugged, and Lloyd nodded in response.

"Okay, seems fair enough. Speaking of which, I should probably order pockets for all of my new suits. I see where pockets come in handy." Lloyd noted as he was holding a few shiny rocks in his hands.

"I told you, you do not need shiny rocks." Garmadon groaned, and I laughed.

"Fine, I'll carry them. Just try not to pick up anymore shiny things. There's still a limit to how much I can carry." I smiled, putting the rocks in a side pocket on my pack. I was glad I had gotten a waterproof pack, it cost a little extra but could be submerged in water.

"Thanks Sis!" Lloyd chirped, smiling happily.

"You're just egging him on, you know that right?" Garmadon sighed, slowing down to match our pace.

"Of course I know. It's just fun to see his face light up as if he were given the ultimate gift." I giggled, and Lloyd poked me.

"Shut up…" He pouted, embarrassed.

"She isn't wrong, I suppose. You do seem to brighten quite a bit." Lloyd's father teased, and he shrunk a little, but it was all in good humor.

"Well I seem to remember the time you tried to get some extra sweets from above the fridge…" Lloyd started, grinning. Oh he wasn't…

"You were on a chair with a suitcase on top trying to grab some cupcakes." Lloyd continued, and I squeaked. I tried to get on top of him, to hopefully prevent him from explaining any further. That was supposed to be between us! Well, he did say something about using it against me someday… But even my tackle couldn't stop the green ninja from explaining my childish act.

"And you were trying so hard to reach them, before the suitcase slipped under you, and you accidentally opened the fridge before you fell into it! Then you were stuck with a bunch of salads!" Lloyd laughed out, and I whined.

"No," I dragged out the 'o' quite dramatically, "I just wanted some sugar!" Garmadon laughed a little, surely imagining what it looked like.

Eventually, our teasing subsided and we continued on, finally reaching the base of the mountains that lead to Hiroshi's Labyrinth. We decided to camp out there, and went through the standard setup. Shelter, food, then get ready for bed. I shared the Beauty and the Beast storyline that Lloyd liked, but Garmadon easily noticed its fantasy based environment and conditions. I'm sure that he knew more mature stories, but likely not as bad as the ones I knew.

Heck, I'd even seen Glory. Details were fuzzy, especially with the growing years between what I knew of Earth to be, but I remembered the fights and language. Those fights were something that I would keep away from Ninjago, and all of its citizens.

Eventually I fell asleep, thinking about my objective, observing. I had strayed far from it, but I felt that I would have to fall back on it soon.

Very soon.

* * *

 **Well, she isn't wrong...**

 **Here's a disclaimer just for hopes of not getting sued or anything : I don't own Ninjago, just Myrana. Myrana is my Oc, but everyone who is in the show belongs to LEGO. I gain no money, and do this for fun.**

 **Anyhow, if the after-effects if the coma seem inaccurate, it is because I did very little research. If it bothers you, just let me know what you would like to be fixed (I'll just add it in later, I'm too lazy to revise my work) and I will do my best. It will not be implemented for a while though, since I have some of this written out already.**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HAVE A GREAT DAY!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Sorry about the wait! High school is rough, especially when you have a ton of honors classes and trying to get my grades on track. Thanks for the music suggestion shadow-dog18, it gave me the motivation to write and post this chapter (Even though it's a shorter chapter, I'm only at page 74!). To be honest, I won't be posting the next chapter for a while, since we're currently halfway through what I've already written. I'm afraid I need more time. But don't worry! I'll say that this book holds the more emotional side of Myrana, and Kai's temper...**

* * *

Yawning, I slowly sat up. Looks like a single sliver of sunlight decided to plant itself right on my face. Somehow a little bit of my tent had been unzipped. Screw you sun, you woke me up again! How you do it is beyond me, but I hate it!

But… I have to admit the time before people wake up is nice. It gives me time to think, and reflect on the people around me. Especially since Lloyd will be captured soon, most likely today. Speaking of which, I don't know whether I'll get captured or left behind. I'm going to put my bets on being left behind, but being prepared wouldn't hurt.

Pulling out my pen, I felt the familiar metal. It had been a long time since I had used it. Over time, this pen somehow has grown on me. This little pen has a history with me, my signature weapon of sorts. Of course, it is not only a weapon. It is still a writing tool, and is very durable. A pen is mightier than the sword, but I suppose mixing the two is even better!

"You know, I haven't seen you use that pen in a long time." Lloyd pointed out as I nearly gave myself whiplash from turning to face him.

"Oh! You're up, good morning. Yes, I haven't used this pen in a long time. It reminds me of when I was a little less connected to my emotions. I'm a bit afraid of having to become so disconnected again." I whispered, unsure of how to continue my statement.

"There shouldn't be a reason to become so emotionless." Lloyd replied, trying to discourage me.

"Yet, there is. Just because there shouldn't be something, doesn't mean that there will not be something." I answered, remembering how cold I used to be before I started to become family with Lloyd.

"What could possibly force you to do that?" Lloyd asked. I laughed darkly, if only he knew that some people weren't forced to abandon their emotions.

"Understand this Lloyd, please. If I want to keep myself somewhat sane inside, I have to let go of my emotions for a while. I am playing a game not meant for people, and I am abiding to the rules given to me. Imagine a judge of sorts, as all punishment should be given accordingly and without emotion." I softly answered, and Lloyd put an arm around me. Playing God was not something meant for people, let alone me.

"Who's forcing you?" Lloyd worried.

"Me." I swiftly answered, turning away.

"Why?" Lloyd continued to worry.

"Doesn't matter. Don't ask me about it. Let's just get your dad up." My tone became cold as I became unwilling to go further. Lloyd nodded silently, understanding that I had enough of pouring out my heart.

Lloyd quickly woke up Garmadon, who suspiciously sat up swiftly and without fatigue. I brushed it off, hoping he would keep quiet about my conversation. That is if he heard me in the first place, but I've learned that small coincidences make the largest differences here in Ninjago.

"Today I suggest we begin the more complicated parts of your training." Garmadon 'suggested,' but it was easily noticeable as an order.

"Okay, so what are we going to do?" Lloyd responded as I passed out some rations. Garmadon began explaining, but I already knew what he was going to do. However, doing insane acts of balance was not my skill. Instead, I turned to carving out the rock face with my wrench. The rock easily melded to my wishes, but I was new to carving things.

Creating simple flowy designs, I began to try to make hair. Thin and delicate strands, depth and purpose. The kind of hair people would only dream of. My attempts were mildly successful, and I turned to rough bark-like material. It was tougher than I thought, taking quite a few tries to come up with anything remotely successful.

Soon Garmadon had Lloyd balancing a bunch of rocks while doing a handstand. I remained silent, attempting to continue making bark. Once I found something that I could accept, I decided to move towards leaves. But Lloyd's session was already over before I could start. It was a disappointment, as I was hoping to make a tree.

"We've got to climb up." Garmadon pointed out the obvious, and I cringed. It was tall, really tall. As in I'm-regretting-my-life-choices tall. I don't even have experience with climbing!

"Hey, for the record, my grave better be the best dang grave ever if I've got to try and climb this thing!" I huffed, and Lloyd looked surprised.

"People don't joke about graves." Garmadon explained.

"Oh. Oops, joking about graves when we feel afraid about things is common. It can be a bit nerve-wracking when in the presence of someone coming close to certain death, but it's not infrequent." I sheepishly replied, and Lloyd shook his head.

"You and your weird jokes." Lloyd muttered, obviously shaken up by the joke. I remained silent in reply, starting to try and climb the hill.

"I suspect you have no experience in climbing." Garmadon noted, and I nodded before realizing he probably couldn't see me nod.

"That's correct. I have no experience at all." I said, but I lost my focus on the wall. I yelped as I fell, my hands getting scratched by the rock, and my hood suffered some damage. I was hardly even up the darn thing!

"Sis!" Lloyd exclaimed, checking me for injury.

"Okay. Now that I realize I can't climb, how the heck am I going to get around these?" I asked the two, hoping they'd have an answer.

"To go around the mountains would be impossible, as the spikes beneath are impassable. I was hoping we would get about halfway up before I begin to train Lloyd." Garmadon sighed.

"Shoot." I muttered, hoping to find a solution. I knew they wouldn't be able to carry me, and even if they could I wouldn't allow it. I need to be self-sufficient! After a few moments of contemplative silence, I sighed.

"I think we've reached an impasse. You guys go on without me, I'll find a way to get around." I glumly spoke, moving away from the rock face.

"No way! We're not leaving without you!" Lloyd protested immediately.

"You have to! I can't climb, you can't carry me, and there's no feasible way for me to learn how to climb in a day! I can't go around, and I can't fly. I'm a liability, but you guys are stronger and can go on without me. There's no choice!" I retorted, and Lloyd shook his head profusely.

"Sis, I can't leave you behind! Family doesn't do that!" Lloyd refused to leave me.

"Families sometimes split to protect one another Lloyd! This is one of those cases! I'm not that important to them, and there's nothing useful to gain from me! It will be okay, but you have to go on." I lied. It wouldn't be 'okay' and if Napoleon caught wind of my knowledge, it wouldn't turn out well for anyone.

"No! I refuse to leave you behind! There has to be another way, maybe we can dig or make something, or or-" Lloyd started to panic.

"Stop! It will be okay. I can take care of myself, and I trust you to do the same." I reassured Lloyd, but he continued to refuse. Stubborn little dummy!

"I'm afraid she's right. Starlord can't climb mountains, she isn't as well trained as we are. However, we have our limits too, and as such we must leave her behind." Garmadon butted in, agreeing with me.

"You can't be serious! She's my sister, I just can't walk away!" Lloyd started to plead.

"Lloyd! I _can't_ go further. If you go ahead, I'll try to find a way over the mountain, or around it, whatever it takes! But you need to go first, you need to keep moving! The Overlord is still out there, and he isn't dead yet! You've got to go!" I stressed, and Lloyd stubbornly put his foot down.

"If you can't move, then I won't move either!" He proclaimed and I sighed in frustration.

"No. Go on without me."

"No."

"Yes."

"No."

"Yes."

"No!"

"Yes!"

"Enough! We don't have time for this! Lloyd, we need to leave now!" Garmadon insisted, and Lloyd fidgeted in response, not liking where this was going.

"Go." I simply ordered, and Lloyd sighed, finally giving up. He gave me a hug, before starting to climb the mountain face. Garmadon followed suit, and I was slowly left behind.

It's been a long time since I've been alone like this. It's also been a long time since I've had to face a problem like this. How was I going to get over this thing?

I looked over the edge, only to find deadly-looking spikes. Well, Garmadon wasn't lying when he said I couldn't go around. Crap, where else was there to go? Going back isn't an option, and going forwards isn't possible! I'm stuck here!

Pacing, I tried to put in some faith. If Lloyd unlocks his power, then he can build a path for me to cross!

"Self-sufficient doesn't mean relying on Lloyd!" I angrily grumbled. I was determined to find a different way, I just needed more time. However, I don't think I have too much time. If I remember correctly, I can guess that Lloyd finally figures out his power in a day or two, leaving the Nindroids hot on their tail. Well, sort of, since the Nindroids didn't know where Lloyd was until the falcon was used. Still, I can't go anywhere!

Looks like I'm forced to try and depend on Lloyd. There's no way I can pass these mountains, the Nindroids would find me if I walked away, and I can't leave Lloyd and Garmadon. Sighing, I plopped onto the ground, looking up at the sky in defeat.

"Gosh darn it. Can't even go two episodes without relying on Lloyd." I mumbled, pulling out my journal.

 _11\. Learn to rely on self. No others required._

 _12\. Master all environments, prepare for the worst case scenario._

 _13._

Once again I left the next requirement number blank, waiting for more to be added on. Putting it away, I continued to stare at the sky above. It was a pale blue, more like a grey. Not a single cloud in sight, and everything looked so plastic. Things had flow, but it was stiff and everything seemed to have that glossy sheen. I missed the small details of Earth, even the annoying strands of hair that always hit my face were missed.

It's been so long since I've had to wait like this. My patience seems to have dropped over the years, but at least I can carve with my wrench. Of course it's very sloppy, but I think it looks alright for a wrench only. I am carving a tree, a sapling to be precise. If you look at it at just the right angle, it looks wonky and weird. Every other angle looks decent, and I am proud of my sapling!

Of course, now I'm tired of carving and I don't know what to do next. I growled, my patience needed a lot of work.

* * *

Well, it's been two days. I'm hoping that Lloyd finds his power soon, I'm getting anxious. Anxiousness leads to fear, that leads to panic, and that leads to bad decisions… No! I can't focus on that! Uh, focus on your saplings! They're steadily getting better, and even have more depth.

Grr, I've been through this a lot already! There has to be something else I can do! Shuffling, I decided to pack up my small camp. It wasn't much, just my tent and sleeping bag. Folding everything away, I reviewed my hopes for Lloyd's capture.

Best case scenario, I get captured alongside Lloyd at the cliff, and I'm pushed off to the side. However, getting captured with Garmadon wouldn't be too bad either. It just brings down my chances of being with Lloyd as the MechDragon falls.

Worst case scenario, I'm captured and noticed as a person of interest. I get taken back to New Ninjago City, and my memories get searched. Speaking of which, I should ask Borg where he got the idea to come up with something to read people's memories! Such a device isn't exactly moral or safe to use.

A screech pierced the sky, and a large shadow appeared at the top of the mountain. Yes, that means Lloyd's going to learn how to use his power! A way out of this stalemate! But first I have to make sure Garmadon doesn't die if Lloyd doesn't figure out how to use his powers! Oh man, if he can't figure it out then Garmadon's going to die! Panicking, I tried to run around the mountain as I heard Garmadon scream. His voice was getting closer and I saw his body emerge from the sky.

"Crap!" I shouted, trying to get to his location. Finally standing beneath where he would land, I put out my arms on hopes of doing something to break his fall. Sadly, I noticed that the ground didn't rise to meet him. Fighting my raw instincts, I stayed still beneath the sensei, only to be crushed by his weight. Pain surged through my everything, causing me to scream out in agony. It faded quickly, but the ache lasted longer, still strong and spiking all throughout my legs and arms.

Since when were there two rock spike-things? Oh, that's nice, the world's turning bla-

* * *

 **Yep. A cliffhanger. Sorry, but if I went on the chapter would be too long for my liking. Also, let me just say that in the future, this thing gets super crazy and probably unrealistic when it comes down to Myrana's emotions. So I pre-apologize for any bad emotional writing in the future. Oh and Kai too, I have no idea if I made him OOC. Anyhow, hope you all enjoy the Ninjago Movie!**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HAVE A GREAT DAY!**


	4. Chapter 4

**I am so sorry for the hiatus! I had a major case of writer's block, but now I can say that season three is completely finished! Thanks to that, I can reliably update! However, let me say that I think the ending for season three is definitely worth the wait! Emotions run high, especially in this book. After all, Myrana's growing older and she's starting to realize that people _do_ come with emotions, including her.**

* * *

"I don't think she has any broken bones. I think that backpack of hers really saved our lives." I heard a voice from far away. I couldn't see much, everything looked really dark. Maybe I should open my eyes if I want to se- TOO BRIGHT! I closed my eyes against the bright sky, groaning as I started to feel the ache all through my body.

"S-she's waking up! Sis, Sis are you okay?" I heard Lloyd's voice get closer, and I opened my eyes again. It wasn't as bright, but it still hurt a lot.

"That hurt Garmadon. You owe me one." I coughed out, slowly clenching and unclenching my hands… No, claws. Blinking, I looked to see a staircase on my right. Lloyd unlocked his powers?

"How did I get up here?" I dumbly asked, my brain not working at full capacity yet.

"I got you two up here. I can control rock without using my powers!" Lloyd whisper cheered, making a small round ball of dirt for me. I squinted at it, before resigning myself to keep looking at the sky.

"You saved my life. I am forever in your debt." Garmadon said from behind me, and I attempted to raise my arm. My poor arm just flopped and succeeded at making a small cloud of dust.

"Just try not to get into anymore deadly situations. That _really_ freaking hurt." I grouched. Slowly, I tried to sit up, barely managing to get into position.

"Whoah! Take it easy! Your bones aren't broken, but you're still hurting for sure." Lloyd worried, trying to ease me back onto the ground.

"It's fine. I'll walk it off." I mumbled, starting to get into a position where I could stand. Everything still hurt and my back seemed to have a sore spot in the middle, but I'd be fine.

"You're not invincible! I'll carry you down." Lloyd offered, and I shook my head frantically. Lloyd prevented me from standing, compromising by letting me sit up. Then I noticed my headache.

"Argh! Ouch ouch ow, is this what a hangover feels like?" I croaked in agony.

"What's a hangover?" Lloyd innocently asked. My brain just didn't have the strength to put up a filter for my words.

"A hangover is when someone drinks a lot of alcohol and then usually the morning after they have a huge headache and everything just hurts. I think, I've never been drunk. I just read a lot." I answered, and Lloyd looked shocked.

"Alcohol is banned in Ninjago! Isn't it banned on your homeworld?" Lloyd gasped out.

"No. There was once movement against it, temperance movement I think, and it failed. It's pretty easy to find, you just have to be over a certain age to buy it. I'm gonna guess that you guys don't exactly have many harmful substances. I wonder if you ever had an issue with Cfc's." I started to mumble, and Lloyd just gaped at me. I turned to face Garmadon, who shared the same look of bewilderment.

"Let's not talk about this now. I'm sorry, we've pushed off this for a bit. Are you alright?" Garmadon finally questioned.

"Oh. My head hurts and so does everything else. There's also a spot in the middle of my back that hurts a little bit more, but if you give me a while, it should fade." I offhandedly replied, starting to move my legs and get a feel for how sore I would be for the next few days.

"No walking, I'm carrying you." Lloyd insisted as he saw me move. I rebelled by continuing to move my legs, realizing that I would likely be fine in a day or two. I was at least glad for that, it would suck to run while being injured. I think I'll be able to walk in half an hour or so. Thank you cartoon logic!

"I can walk in a little bit. I'll be fine." I retorted, crossing my arms in defiance.

"No. You got hit by my dad from practically a thousand feet! I'm not letting you move for a while." Lloyd vowed, and I looked to Garmadon for help. Lloyd was stubborn when it came down to safety. Then something hit me.

"Oh god." I whispered, as I started to panic.

OH GOD TIME CHANGED HOLY FREAKING CRAP GARMADON WOULD'VE DIED AND LLOYD WAS DELAYED IN SAVING HIS DAD! WHAT THE FLIP! F-

"Sis?" Lloyd tried to distract me, and I flinched back.

"Nope, nope, nope, crap, crap crap _things changed holy flip you don't even know-_ " I rushed out, the world getting darker.

WHAT THE HECK HE WOULD'VE DIED AND IF I DIDN'T HELP HE WOULD'VE DIED EARLY OH GOD WHAT DO I DO WHAT WHAT NO NO NO NO NO-

"Sis!"

"FLIP, CRAP, NO NO NO NO NO THIS WASN'T SUPPOSED TO HAPPEN!" I sobbed out, starting to curl up.

"Calm down Sis!"

"NO I CAN'T CALM DOWN I SCREWED UP NO-"

"Sis everything's alright!"

"NO IT'S NOT I MESSED UP EVERYBODY'S GOING TO DIE WHY DID I DO THIS-"

"Nobody's going to die!"

"THINGS ARE SCREWING UP WHY WHY WHY WHY WHY-"

Slap.

"Look. Nobody's going to die. There's nothing to be afraid of. We're all alive. Please don't make me do that ever again." Lloyd begged, trying to calm me down.

"But- but there's everything to be afraid of! I didn't notice it earlier, I was too busy trying to fight my instincts to save your dad, and it just hit me and and and-" Lloyd cut me off, but my mind was in repeat and panic mode.

"Everything is going to be okay! We're all going to be alright, just focus on that okay?" Lloyd coaxed, and I shook my head softly. If I did that, we'd all be screwed over. That or I wouldn't even be here. Remaining silent, I stared at my lap in in anger at myself for having this happen. Even though I didn't cause this, I still feel at fault! Because of me being here, I've changed everything! If I wasn't here, Garmadon would've died! But if I weren't here from the beginning then this wouldn't of happened! Now I can never leave the Ninja alone!

"The Ninja have sent a message to us!" Garmadon exclaimed as he held the falcon on his arm. A hologram appeared before us, and I waited to see what they had to say.

"There's been some trouble over here. Someone figured out how to power Nindroids, and we don't know how many there might be." Nya explained, before the hologram switched to Jay.

"And they turned Sensei Wu evil! He had a black beard!" Jay sadly cried out, before the hologram switched once again to Nya.

"We suspect whoever's done this also stole the hard drive containing the Overlord, and may have reawakened him!" Nya reported as the Hologram switched to Kai.

"And since the hard drive's gone, we can't reboot the system. Our technoblades are useless!" Kai announced, and Nya's voice took over once more. But this time a white scale appeared.

"But the stranger left a clue. A white scale, that's right! We suspect it may be serpentine. We're heading to New Ninjago City to investigate. Just wanted to let you know so you can keep your distance. Over and out." Nya finished.

"Serpentine?" Lloyd looked to his father in confusion.

"Whatever it may be we cannot go back. We can only look forwards. Just below this peak is Hiroshi's labyrinth, miles of jungle so thick, all who enter are never found." Garmadon spoke, and I finally managed to stand while Lloyd was distracted. I wobbled, but took a step forwards.

"Wha- I told you I'd carry you!" Lloyd protested, immediately picking me up. I squeaked in surprise before glaring at Lloyd.

"I'd fuss, but that would take up too much time. So I'll just make this dramatic. Go forth young minion! I wish to get down this mountain and you are not moving!" I snobbily ordered, and Lloyd sighed.

"You're not going to make this easy, are you?" Lloyd deadpanned.

"Not a chance." I replied, before messing with his hair.

"Let's just get moving." Lloyd slumped in slight annoyance. As Lloyd proceeded to carry me down the steps he made, Garmadon seemed to find this the time to talk some more about alcohol.

"Why isn't alcohol banned where you are from? Isn't it dangerous?"

"It's not banned because… Well there's a lot of reasons. Money, enjoyment, tradition in general, and that's just barely touching the surface of why it still is around. As for being dangerous, that's a usage problem. To use it in a responsible manner is okay, but to drink and drive or become addicted to it isn't good. It can lead to a lot of problems, but it always depends on the use. How do you know about it if it's banned?" I asked.

"As kids we're taught that there's some things that are banned. I remember alcohol, tobacco, and some sort of powder I think. There really wasn't too much, but it was drilled into our heads that they're really bad, even for Darkley's." Lloyd replied.

"Oh. I learned from school, other kids, and the internet about that kind of stuff. Sounds like we have a much worse track record than you guys. Make sure you stay away from the chlorofluorocarbons, they do some serious damage to the ozone layer." I answered my own question.

"Chloro-what? Ozone?" Lloyd dumbly attempted to repeat.

"You don't know what the ozone layer is?" I incredulously wondered.

"No. What is it?" Garmadon smoothly entered the conversation.

"Nevermind. Doesn't matter, but I've got to say your science is really weird, and so is your understanding of it." I shrugged, and the others followed in turn.

"Really? What's your science like?" Lloyd asked.

"Science is a big subject. I was personally a fan of physics, but I… Ended up here before I could get the chance to study it more." I admitted and Lloyd's face seemed to soften in pity. As we continued down the steps, our chatting went on as well. Lloyd was the most curious of all, wanting to learn everything he could. Of course he made sure to stay within boundaries of sorts, never making the questions very personal. Garmadon just went with Lloyd's questions, obviously understanding that there was some sort of line that would be easy to cross if he didn't pay attention.

"Alright, I'm walking from here on out Lloyd, I can walk." I insisted, squirming from Lloyd's grasp as we reached the bottom of the mountain. Lloyd was about to protest, but Garmadon swooped in to save me.

"I'm sure she can handle it. After all you need to save your strength for traversing the labyrinth." Garmadon offhandedly managed to get Lloyd to let go of me.

"Freedom!" I cheered, standing proudly. Lloyd rolled his eyes and chuckled, but made sure to hold onto my pack just in case of me falling.

"Alright, let's go." Lloyd ordered, and we walked into the mass of wet and humid jungle. A wave of pure hot air hit me, and my clothes seemed to warm up with the humidity. I haven't felt such humid air in a long time!

"There is one thing interesting about this place. It is said that there is a beautiful oasis inside, the jewel of the labyrinth." Garmadon explained, attempting to lighten my mood.

"As long as we stay hidden, I'm good." I replied, not liking the warm temperature, used to the cold and icy Jamanakai village.

After a long time of walking, we eventually took a break. Panting, I collapsed next to a tree. The hot air has been exhausting! Well, it's more the humidity, but it still took a lot out of me.

"So was I right?" Lloyd bragged a little as he was a bit more adaptive to the heat.

"Just not used to the heat. Being normal means not getting used to stuff like this." I tried to retort, but Lloyd just chucked.

"Sure it is. We'll just start moving again in a few minutes." Lloyd informed me, and I shrugged. Then I noticed the sound of water rushing, and I tilted my head to hear the noise.

"Son, you should come and see this." Garmadon softly marveled. I got up and we joined the old sensei. As we passed a few more shrubs, the oasis was revealed.

"Whoah…" Lloyd gasped, staring at the waterfall in pure amazement. I remained silent, not wanting to ruin the moment for them. It was a simple waterfall with a pond, nothing extraordinary.

"It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen." Lloyd awed in amazement. This was underwhelming for me, I had seen much more beautiful things.

"Yes, even in the darkness, beauty can be found." Sensei Garmadon sighed, standing alongside his son. Then a buzzing noise was heard behind us, and trees began to fall.

"Dang. Those are some powerful saw blades." I whispered to myself, seeing a tree fall before me.

"They've found us! You must go, now!" Garmadon ordered before turning away, but Lloyd didn't listen.

"I said _leave_!" Garmadon yelled when he noticed Lloyd didn't start running. I grabbed onto Lloyd, running away with him. We started to try and get up a hill when Lloyd looked back at his dad.

"He'll be fine! We've got to go!" I urged, pulling Lloyd up the hill. We finally got to the top, and my adrenaline started kicking in. Then there were Nindroids, and I quickly grabbed onto Lloyd. I was not hitting those things with a wrench! I would get electrocuted!

Lloyd thought fast and made his bike, with me in the back. Oh god no I do _not_ want to do thi-

"Hang on tight." Was all Lloyd said before we quickly turned around and launched off the hill.

"AHHHHHH!" I screamed as loud as I could, holding on to Lloyd for dear life. I closed my eyes, hoping that today would not be the day I die. I felt the bike bump and swerve while I screamed, a tear of fear managing to escape.

Why the heck did I do this? This was a dumb idea! I want to go back home!

The Nindroids crackled and screeched as they crashed, sounds of metal being mutilated being played all around. My arms felt like they were going to fall off, and the bumps made me afraid of falling off the bike.

"Ah!" I heard Lloyd shout and we hit a tree, and everything went in slow-motion. I was flying through the air towards the cliff at the end of the forest. The ground was approaching quickly, and Lloyd's bike was gone. Every part of me was screaming, and I felt like there was a hole in my stomach!

Then my head hit ground with a sick crack, and I screamed even louder in response. The air was knocked out of me and I couldn't breathe in. I couldn't breathe in! I'm hyperventi-whatever! I'm going to die!

"Sis! Breathe, breathe!" Lloyd shouted, immediately coming to my rescue. I stared at him, trying desperately to calm down.

"It's going to be okay, focus on me. Remember the Beauty and The Beast? It's my favorite. Remember when you fell into the fridge?" Lloyd coaxed, and I barely cracked a smile. Slowly I was starting to breathe, and I tried to sit up. Then I heard the sound of mechanical flapping. I shot up like a rocket, ignoring the headache that was forming.

No wait, that headache hurts a lot more than I thought… Ow ow ouch FLIP!

"Ffliirl. Nerpolan. WAi! WHY DI WE HI A TREH? FRIIIIII-" Lloyd shushed me and I silenced myself with my hood. Muffled shouts and curses that were _very_ slurred still managed to get out, but not as loudly.

Then the dragon emerged. Oh god that looks a lot scarier up close holy flip don't kill me please! The noise hurts and my head hurts it hurts to think!

"Dad!" Lloyd cried out.

"Lloyd! Leave and never come back!" Garmadon coughed out as evil Wu held his bamboo stick against Garmadon's neck.

"Leave, and your father falls!" Napoleon threatened, and Garmadon was held over the side with nowhere to go but down. I gulped, and tugged on Lloyd's arm. Then I started to try and use my sore brain and realized we needed to stay. Good thing for me Lloyd was too focused on his dad to care about me.

Lloyd began to make an energy ball, his anger fueling him. I stepped back from Lloyd, watching as a mechanical snake tied him up. It canceled out his powers and forced his arms down, effectively stopping the energy ball from existing.

"My power is gone!" Lloyd stuttered out, struggling against the metal snake. I waited for Pythor, trying to regain a calm composure against my headache and pain. He slowly slithered over, somehow hiding his big as flip tail underneath a small cloak. Lloyd turned to face him, and he revealed himself.

"Why hello, old chum. And Starlord, what a pleasant surprise!" Pythor rasped out, and I swayed a little.

"Heeey, I've just got a migrane and eh pain everywhere." I slurred, trying to act civil.

"But I thought you were-" Lloyd started, but Pythor wanted the spotlight.

"Gone? No, I suffered a far different, more painful fate. Digested in the bowels of the Devourer. It can wreak havoc on one's complexion. Lucky for Wu, he came out _unscathed_." Pythor sourly spoke, obviously angry for not coming out without consequences.

"Finally the golden ninja is mine! Now the transformation can be complete!" Napoleon cheered.

"And it seems we have a bonus guest. Handed to us on a silver plate!" Pythor smiled, and I stumbled forwards to retort.

"Jus becuzss I'm probabee mentille unstable rigt new, doen't mean you'll get anyring from meh!" I yelled, but immediately regretting it thanks to my headache. Pythor just laughed, and we were guided onto the dragon. I went willingly, not wanting to be restrained.

"I couldn't leave you! I can't do this alone, father. I failed you." Lloyd explained in shame. My brain started to clear up a little, and things started to make more sense. Cartoon logic has really been on my side today! Heck yes for advanced healing because cartoons can't have injured people for very long!

"It's okay, son. It is I who failed you-" Garmadon was cut off by Napoleon.

"He is of no more importance to me. Throw him over." Napoleon offhandedly ordered, and Garmadon fell. Lloyd screamed in agony as he watched his father fall, and I cringed at the noise. I had gotten attached, and this is what happens.

"Well, I hope he didn't bellyflop. The surface tension of water makes it feel a lot worse if you bellyflop." I shrugged, putting up my guards once more, It had been a long time, but I'm sure I'll get my charm back into business.

"You're not helping!" Lloyd cried.

"Since when do I help?" I muttered, turning to Pythor.

"It seems you still have your skills for neutrality. I have to admire that." Pythor complimented, and the Overlord growled.

"Why keep her? We already got rid of his father." Napoleon angrily huffed, and Pythor chuckled.

"From what I've seen, she is valuable for information. Garmadon may have had information too, but he is too experienced. As for little Starlord over here… Well it shouldn't be too hard to get information from a little girl who's willing." Pythor convinced the Overlord, albeit the Overlord's concerns.

This wasn't going to turn out well, I could feel it.

"Of course. But everything comes with a price." I warned. Pythor laughed.

"I'm sure we can reach an agreement." Pythor subtly threatened. Honestly, that was a horrible attempt at being threatening, but I'll let it slide for the fact that I actually might be in danger.

"Y-you can't be selling us out can you?" Lloyd turned to me in shock. I frowned, but I kept my cool pose.

"I'm not a good guy, Lloyd. I'm not a bad guy either, I live in the grey zone of morals. But I can understand you don't quite see what I see. After all, it's been drilled into your head that everything you do is nothing but righteous and amazing." I explained, before turning to Pythor as we walked in.

"You seem injured. What brought you to that? It seems very unlike you." Pythor pointed out.

"A mistake made here and there. I can assure you and myself that it will not happen again." I replied, and Pythor turned to me.

"You aren't going soft, are you?" He sounded suspiciously giddy.

"That's what you'd like to think." I scoffed, and Pythor smiled.

"Then why not put Lloyd in there for us? I'm sure we can make a few deals after that." Pythor coaxed, and Lloyd tried to scramble backwards. Pythor wanted me to put Lloyd in the power draining cell? Looks like I'll have to up my game.

"No, no you wouldn't do that!" Lloyd cried out, and I grabbed the metal snake around him. I was meant for observing, not caring, don't care...

"In your dreams. After all, this was meant to happen, so it doesn't matter whether I put you in, or if Pythor does the honors." I smirked, before pushing Lloyd inside the power drainer.

"No! I thought you were my sister!" Lloyd banged his hand, I mean claw, against the glass. I tilted my head at him, silent.

"So, shall we strike a deal?" Pythor suggested, and I nodded.

"What do you want to know?" I looked at Pythor curiously.

"Don't do this!" Lloyd yelled out, begging me to stop.

"Let's start simple, ease into this. After all, we are not enemies. I would like to know how you've been all this time." Pythor simply asked, and I shrugged. Lloyd's power began to drain and he focused on that more than me.

"Got some money, went through some rough patches, but managed to survive. I have to provide for myself if I want to keep myself safe." I replied, being as vague as possible.

"Ah, I see. So what brought you to the Ninja's little group?" Pythor continued.

"Toeing the line you are, but I'll let you know. If you can befriend some of the most powerful people on this planet, who's to stop you from ruling? The smallest of differences have the biggest impact." I lied about my intentions, but Pythor hissed.

"What makes the Overlord inferior then?" He aggressively grouched.

"Simple. Here in Ninjago, all the 'good guys' win. Take a good look around you, and you'll see how close to pure fantasy you really are." I pointed out.

"Do explain." Pythor calmed down.

"You live in a world without alcohol, you're in a mechanical dragon, laws of nature obviously don't apply to a lot of things here, and your world's biomes make no sense. Why the heck is a desert next to a freaking land of nothing but ice and snow? There's no reason for the biomes to abruptly stop! Reason is dead and logic weeps in the corner here!" I burst out, hating that everything made no sense!

"What? You don't have this kind of technology?" Pythor taunted.

"Nope. We specialize in different items. Also, Overlord, you built an ICBM and didn't use it to cause mass destruction! Got to say, sometimes you're not the brightest." I decided to provoke Napoleon for fun.

"I wouldn't suggest mocking me, Starlord. There are defenses here and it would be a shame if you were to get hit by a stray laser." Napoleon angrily rasped out.

"I'm just stating some facts! Personally, since you're immortal, becoming a power in the government would be much easier. Going through all of this 'destroy the ninja' crap is kind of annoying and probably doesn't help you. Just saying. Anything else you want to learn about?" I suggested, and Napoleon remained silent.

"What do you know about the Ninja?" Pythor bluntly demanded.

"What do you want to know about specifically? I could give you a lot on that broad subject. Along with that, there's going to be a hefty price tag."

"Let's begin with their weaknesses, shall we?" Pythor hissed out.

"Ah, a rich buyer I see. Then you tell me the weakness of the Overlord. An eye for an eye, so to speak." I proposed.

"What? I will tell you nothing of the sort!" Pythor instantly refused.

"Then you'll never know. A hefty advantage must be paid in turn with the same." I replied, brushing Pythor's needs away.

"Then a compromise could be made?" Pythor suggested as I glanced at the meter showing how far away the Overlord was to becoming real. It was at forty percent already!

"A compromise you say? What could you possibly offer?" I tilted my head in mock-interest.

"Perhaps I could offer _you_ not being destroyed the moment the Overlord comes back into the real world." Pythor angrily replied.

"Nice try at being threatening. I'd give you a negative infinity out of 1. If you really wanted to be more threatening, watch and learn!" I swooped behind Pythor, pulling out my wrench and pulling it taut against the joint between his head and long neck. It was pulled back to the point of touching the floor, and while he was distracted, I held the tip of his tail down with my foot.

"First, force your opponent into an uncomfortable position. Second, keep calm and provide eye contact. Third, make their situation a deadly one, those really work out well. Always have a good hold of your opponent and show illusion of choice. Dominance is great and all, but to crush someone's hopes is even better. There's many more subtle rules, but I'm sure you're noticing them right now as I slowly put pressure on your throat. Oh, it's getting harder to breathe? Would you like to breathe? I'm sure you want to. Is that choking I hear? Alright fine, such a party pooper." I mock complained as I lightened the hold of the wrench, even as Pythor struggled. Seems like the tip of their tails and the well known head-to-rest-of-the-body weak point still exist. Well, the tip of their tail is probably a Ninjago thing, not an Earth-related weakness.

"You are g-ack-good at this." Pythor complimented.

"I have to be. How else am I to survive?" I shrugged, still keeping the snake in place. Lloyd started to mumble to himself, and I took that as a cue to make Pythor pass out.

"Sorry, this is nothing personal. Just to make sure that you don't kill me afterwards." I shrugged, and soon Pythor went limp. He would awaken soon, but he obviously needed to survive the crash. Ah! An air helmet… Coincidental, but I'll take it. Placing it on his head and connecting an oxygen recycler, I think, onto the helmet, I watched Lloyd struggle.

"You are alone, and your power is all mine!" Napoleon laughed while Lloyd struggled to stand.

"No, I'm not alone! You're wrong!" Lloyd cried out, and merely watched. My heart felt a little guilt, but I reassured myself that it was for everyone's own good.

Then Lloyd collapsed to the floor, his power being mainly drained, along with the Overlord gaining a physical form. A hand reached out, but it just wasn't finished yet, and it faded quickly. Then fire sparked from the wires around the box that the Overlord was being created in, and fire soon spread. Things started to fall, and I dropped to the floor. Looks like that 'stay close to the floor in a fire' is really helpful.

"Losing altitude, crash imminent in ten…" A robotic voice droned.

I smashed the glass case surrounding Lloyd, and quickly dragged him out. The fire grew insanely quickly, and I struggled to carry Lloyd and open the next door. Once I did, I felt a massive air pressure difference, and I pulled Lloyd with me overboard. It didn't take much effort to jump, because I would've fallen out anyways thanks to the air blasting me in the face! I forced us to dive as the water came closer.

Bracing for impact, I closed my eyes and hoped. I felt the water smack me in the face, a burning pain spreading through my legs and upper body. Wincing as I swam in the water, I forced us up towards the air.

Come on, come on! We couldn't have gone that far down! I desperately pushed against the water, hoping to reach the surface. I'm losing oxygen! Then I finally felt the air and I used one last push to get us both above the water.

"We m-ack-ade it!" I coughed out, holding Lloyd above the water. When I looked at him, his eyes were half-lidded in exhaustion. Still I could feel that he didn't like being around me, but he was too tired to have a choice. I frowned, but I began to swim us to shore nearby. Streaming through the water at a slow pace, I focused on the shore. Unsurprisingly, the water was still, even on the beach.

Tiredly crawling up to the shore, I coughed as I fell down to the sand. Lloyd and I were both exhausted, and lying on the shore was all we could do. At least nothing was destroyed since my pack is waterproof. Thank goodness for thinking ahead!

But I think I really hurt Lloyd. Thinking of which, it seemed like he had never seen me like this. Doesn't he remember me years ago? Back in season... One…

He hasn't seen me like this! If the Ninja told Lloyd about the times I… Stabbed them, then he probably wouldn't believe them! To Lloyd, this is the first time he's seen me be cruel in person, or at least cruel to the Ninja. He did see me stab my Bizarro clone, but that was still their 'enemy.' I had never harmed or betrayed his friends in front of him, at least not badly. No wonder he looks so spiteful. He must think that he's lost two people in one day.

Sighing, I rested in my spot, trying to regain some energy. Still, the thought that Lloyd hadn't seen the other thing's I've done hit me hard. How did I not notice? There would be no other reason why he became my brother when he was a kid, and _stay_.

I turned to look at Lloyd, and it seemed he passed out. I knew he was barely awake when we reached shore, so it made sense he fell asleep. I suppose I could wait a little longer to get up too. Turning away, I looked at the plain blue sky above. I didn't have the will to even think. All that I wanted was some rest so I could get us to a village later.

After a long time, I finally got the strength to get up and figure out what to do next. Of course, getting Lloyd to a village was the goal. But since he's passed out, I can't just drag him. We both don't have the strength to do that.

Maybe I can build something to carry him! It's not going to be some fancy wagon, but I can try to build something. Like half a stretcher, then part of it drags while I pull the other end! Quickly getting to work, I started getting sticks and some vines. I didn't have rope with me, so these would have to do.

Then I realized I don't know how to knot this together.

"Augh! Of all the times that I don't know something!" I groaned out, picking up two sticks and a vine. I tried to wrap the vine around the sticks, and eventually found wrapping the sticks in a crap ton of vines made it stick. Shrugging, I continued using this strategy, hoping that it would work.

Then a frame was finally built! Next I weaved in a net made of vines, before grabbing some moss and a few big leaves to make a cushion. Then I attached another vine to the top so I could drag it, and then put a vine in the middle so Lloyd's arms would keep him on the half-stretcher.

Proud of the little carrier, I dragged Lloyd on top of it. Yep, still asleep. Pulling the vine, I slowly dragged as inland. Step by step, minute by minute, I walked further forwards. Silence reigned supreme as I walked. Unsurprisingly, the land ahead was covered in foliage and rocks.

As I continued on, I felt my strength bubble away. Every part of me was sore, and I couldn't feel my feet through the pain. My knees were constantly in pain, and my arms desperately wanted to give up. The world seemed to slosh back and forth if I moved my head too much, and everything just _ached_.

Then I reached a small house's backyard, and strength surged through me. I raced forwards with Lloyd in tow, and hit my fist against the door. A clank from inside the house echoed out, and I passed out as soon as the door opened.

* * *

 **Oh yes. I love the fights between Lloyd and Myrana, because I get to add the heart-wrenching undertone of 'I lived with you for two years and you betrayed me just like that?' Haha! Once again, I am sorry for the unexpected hiatus. I felt like my story was missing something for the end and since I didn't have anything to look forward to writing, it stopped for a while. Then I found the piece I was missing and everything went wild! Some things I didn't even plan for just popped up in the story and made it even better! I'll try to update more often for now!**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HAVE A GREAT DAY AND HALLOWEEN!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Hehe, told you guys I'd update more regularly... sort of. I plan to have two seasons per book so it might seem a bit weird at the end of this season, because season four is not directly part of season three, but I'll make it work!**

* * *

"Urgh, ouch my… Everything?" I mumbled, everything in an aching pain. My ankles and knees hurt the most, painful imaginary needles jabbing through my legs every second. Not to mention I was thirsty and hungry. Opening my eyes, I saw a young girl with a rag in her hand with a bowl of water next to her. She was blonde with a light brown outfit. Nothing complicated, but it complimented her look.

"It's good to see you awake. Thirsty?" She offered a glass of water, and I nodded quickly. Taking the glass and drinking from it, I noticed my hood was gone! HECK NO I NEED IT!

"Miss, do you know where my hood is?" I kindly asked, but I felt a crap ton of panic. That hid me from the world, and kept what little of my world I had left secret! My identity, my old self needed to be preserved beneath the mask!

"Yes, here it is. I needed to make sure you were alright, so I took it off. I hope you don't mind that I took it off." She shyly gave me back my mask. I swiftly put it back on and put it to the color of a light pink, trying to show I wasn't threatening.

"Thank you. I don't like to take it off, it means a lot to me. But it was good of you to take it off to check for injury. You're smart, I'll give you that." I complimented, and she shied away.

"Oh, it's nothing. Your friend is still asleep, but he might wake up soon." The girl replied.

"Sorry, where are my manners? I'm Starlord, that's what people know me by. My friend is Lloyd, what's your name?" I curiously asked, sitting up on the twin bed I was graciously provided with.

"I'm Cyra, nice to meet you Starlord." Cyra warmly greeted. I smiled under my hood, and shook hands with her.

"Nice to meet you too, and once again thank you for taking care of us. Do you think I could see Lloyd?" I pleaded, hoping that I could try to make amends with him.

"Sure, but just be careful! I can tell you're really sore, so just hang onto me." Cyra ordered, helping me out of the bed and hobbling us over to where Lloyd was. When she opened the door, I found Lloyd awake and holding a piece of paper. It looked like it had been wet, and the edges of it were burning.

"Lloyd?" I quietly called out, and the paper stopped burning. He held it out, turning away from us.

"Take it back." He whispered. I hobbled up to him, looking at the paper. He turned it over, and I gasped.

"L-Lloyd?" I glanced back at him.

"Take it!" He shoved it towards me, and I was forced to hold it. In blurred and almost unrecognizable letters, lied the message I gave to him so long ago.

 _The people with the hardest outsides, have the most fragile of hearts._

"B-but, I g-" Lloyd cut me off immediately.

"Go away." He furiously growled, turning to face me with sadness and rage. I choked up, and I pulled on Cyra to take me back. Hobbling out the door, I held the paper in my trembling hand. I don't care if it's a claw or hand anymore, I just want back to the room!

"Are you alright? You're shaking." Cyra worried.

"Please, just take me back to the room." I struggled out, and we reached the room in silence. I got back into the bed, turning to face the wall.

"I'm sorry Cyra, I know you only want to help. There's just been something as of late that, well… It's complicated. If you can find Lloyd a radio though, I think he'll be happy. There's some people in New Ninjago City that we need to talk to. For now though, just leave me alone. I need to think." I apologized, and Cyra hummed in acceptance, then left me alone.

He made me take back the paper. This burnt-edged, water-soaked, and old piece of paper I gave to him on the Dark Island. Lloyd obviously held this with him, and it must have been something he treasured.

And he just made me take it back.

"And still I bet he doesn't know what's written on this." I whispered, black paper dust spreading on my hands.

What kind of person am I to throw my brother to the enemy? Oh right, I'm supposed to stay neutral all the time. It's attachments like this that screw me over. Flip it, I just can't deal with this right now. I'm just going to sleep instead, my mind just won't handle everything right now.

* * *

"Wha- Oh. Right, a bunch of crap went down yesterday. Ugh." I groaned in frustration into my pillow, dragging out the 'ugh' as long as I could. Grabbing the scrap of paper, I looked at it again. I felt guilt flow through me, and I curled into a ball to try and make it go away.

It didn't work.

A feeling of horrible emptiness spread through my body. What I did wasn't right! But, it had to be done! Conflict, conflict, conflict! It was wrong, but necessary… Then why do I feel so bad!

No, I've got to stop. I've got to push these stupid emotions away! They're just going to get in the way! Emotions just get in the way…

Slowly, I pushed away my emotions as best as I could, suppressing them at the back of my mind. They still remained present, but a lot less potent as they were before. As I regained peace with myself, I stretched myself out, hearing cracks all over my body from stiffness. Each one relieved stress from my bones, and at the end of my stretch, I felt a lot better!

Of course, I was in no condition to move. I was still sore and exhausted, even though the stretches helped. Sitting up through the ache, I looked back at the piece of paper again.

Then I ripped it into nothing but demented confetti.

I tossed it across the room, banishing the attachment with it. In this job, emotions are bad. I can't have any attachments to me, and I can't attach to others. So, I'll just let Lloyd be and ail behind him and the others. Since when did I have to care? Well, I had promised him that I'd be his sister… Fine. I'll _try_ to keep a good bond with Lloyd, and maybe Zane. Otherwise, everyone else means nothing. They have to, for my own sanity. Then somebody knocked on the door.

"May I come in?" Cyra politely asked.

"Huh? Oh, sure. Come in!" I replied, watching as she walked in.

"You tore up that burnt paper and threw it?" Cyra immediately noticed. I nodded, hoping she wouldn't ask me about it.

"How are you today? I hope that Lloyd and I aren't too much of a burden…" I tried to start some small talk.

"No, no! You're not a burden! It's been a long time since I've met someone new, not many people live here. Lloyd wanted me to send a message to you. He asked if you were turning into your old self, and somebody is going to pick you up with him soon." Cyra relayed, and I sunk into the pillow.

"Cyra, did he say that he didn't want to see me? Because I'm very frustrated and stressed and if I can get his concerns out of the way, then it would be a big help." I muttered, wanting to get rid of the stress.

"No, I guess he didn't… He just seemed really disappointed and angry with you. If you think you guys can talk to each other, I can take you to see him." Cyra offered reluctantly.

"Please take me to see him. I would really appreciate it." I sighed, and Cyra helped me out of the bed. My legs were still incredibly sore, and my ankles were screaming at me to stop. Pushing through the ache, we hobbled over to Lloyd's room, and Cyra knocked.

"It's me Cyra, and Starlord is with me. She wants to talk to you." She announced, and Lloyd did not respond for a moment.

"You two can come in." Lloyd reluctantly replied, and Cyra helped me into the room, then left. I sat in a simple wooden chair. I'm glad she knew we needed to be alone. Turning to Lloyd, I saw how exhausted he was. His hair was more ruffled than usual, and he was practically sinking into the bed. Lloyd didn't move much, and was only able to look at me in tired anger. A radio sat next to him, no doubt the one he used to talk to the others in New Ninjago City.

"Hey." I simply greeted, unsure of what to say. Lloyd kept staring, not making a sound.

"You asked if I was changing into my old self. Do you remember my old self? You were a lot younger, and I doubt the Ninja told you everything." I softly whispered.

"I remember. You terrified the others, stabbed your clone in the head, and swore at me." Lloyd rasped out.

"Heh. Seems like they didn't tell you about my early days. I'd say I've changed a lot more than I would like. You need to know this Lloyd, and never let it go. I am not meant to be here. Because of that, I choose to watch and intervene when it is needed. I can't afford to get attached, for my own sanity and people's protection." I reminded Lloyd.

"Protection? You call throwing me into that _thing_ protection? You've got a messed up sense of protection!" Lloyd seethed, his expression furious.

"It was going to happen anyways!" I shouted back, the chair tilting forward with me.

"How do you know that? I'm starting to believe Kai on this one. What is so important that you hide?" Lloyd hissed.

"I'll tell you the same thing I told you on that day at Darkley's. I'd rather die!" I yelled. Lloyd immediately became quiet and turned away from me.

Then I started to laugh. I fell off my chair, taking no note of the pain.

"Hahaha! What kind of stupid idiot was I to do this? I should've known that I was never going to be able to survive! I'm not going to survive! Haha! I'll never make it, I can't believe I was so naϊve!" The laughter slowly turned to tears, and I stared at the ceiling as I started to sob.

"I blame whatever that coma did to my head. I blame myself, and everything I've done for this. I hope I get frozen and explode just like they will." I weeped out, tears being absorbed by my hood.

"Why do you keep doing this? Every time I think that maybe you've changed, that maybe you're finally on our side, you go ahead and prove me wrong. Then you beg me to come back! I'm no relationship expert, but I've heard that this kind of behavior is bad." Lloyd mumbled.

"Why? Heh, that's the golden question, isn't it? Well, it's kind of complicated. Imagine a chain, each one of them parts of your life. Other people have chains too, and if you've met or interacted with them, they're connected to you. Some of the other chains help your chain stay whole and unseparated. Other chains don't and it doesn't matter if they are or aren't there. Of course, your chain is continuing onwards. Here's where it gets tricky. A stray chain that doesn't belong suddenly attaches. Unintentionally, the stray chain manages to attach itself to more chains and practically infect the entire chain. Because of that it can't go away, and that's me right now. A stupid stray chain that can't detach, because I've attached myself to everyone." I admitted as vaguely as I could. Lloyd looked confused, but tried his best to understand.

"I don't get it." Lloyd deadpanned after a while.

"Fine. I'm stuck, I'm scared and I am trying my best to do the impossible. Happy now?" I grumbled, the tears starting to stop.

"What? What's so impossible?" Lloyd pressured me further.

"Doesn't matter!" I snapped back.

"It does!"

"It doesn't! I've already told you why, you don't need to know anything more!"

"Then tell me what was on that paper." Lloyd demanded, deciding that arguing further wasn't worth it.

"It said 'the people with the hardest outsides, have the most fragile of hearts.'" I simply answered an Lloyd scoffed.

"That's a lie if I've ever heard one."

"Do you have any idea what I did for you? Any? I dragged you from that stupid beach after being exhausted and nearly crushed to death by your dad, and I even had the decency to give you a semi comfortable ride! I had to walk with this pack on my back and you, while hoping that I'd find someone to help! I passed out in front of Cyra's door! I worked so hard to make sure that you would be safe!" I yelled, sitting up angrily. Lloyd opened his mouth to say something but I cut him off.

"Still a lie? Then think about every time I reached out to you, crying and happy that at least one person I am living with doesn't hate me! I have to sit here and take in all of this and still have the world's interests in mind! You think your stupid little prophecy was taxing? Face a fate where you know what needs to be done but can't get it right! I'm still younger than you and I'm trying to face something that only Sensei Wu could even come close to! And even then he never had the same extent of issues that I face! You're my freaking brother Lloyd, I love you but I am trying to do everything right and I'm not getting it." I started to cry again, curling up into a ball.

"Is that why you thought about jumping all that time ago?" Lloyd whispered.

"Yeah, my emotions have been pretty much amplified. Every emotion. So all the sadness and pain I have? Double it and mix in a ton of stress." I softly replied, trying my best to give Lloyd something to grab onto. I couldn't lose him again! Lloyd was silent again, thinking.

"Ask Wu about the Spirit Smoke and his vision about the Great Devourer. That pretty much sums up everything." I sighed, finally getting up to leave. Things still ached, and this made me want to crawl right back into the bed Cyra let me use.

"Tell me one secret that you're afraid to tell." Lloyd pleaded, likely using it as a trust test. I stopped, thinking of what to say.

"I'm afraid of Zane translating my journals." I sighed, and Lloyd looked at me curiously.

"Why?"

"Because they're not meant for people of Ninjago. One of them holds all human history that I can remember, and the other holds all of my inner thoughts and darkest secrets. Both of them would scar you more than what I showed the Ninja many years ago, and what happened at Darkley's. Heck, it might just scare you more than after the 'Final Battle.'" I laughed humorlessly.

"Oh." Lloyd whispered, and then I opened the door to reveal a shocked Cyra.

"Sorry, I didn't know you were there!" I sheepishly apologized, and Cyra laughed.

"No, no it's fine. I was just about to knock on the door. Apparently your rides are here." She brushed off my apology, and I nodded.

"H-hey! I think some of my power is back!" Lloyd exclaimed, getting out of the bed with ease.

"Aww, lucky you! I'm still stuck with this soreness everywhere." I complained, and Lloyd laughed. We weren't okay, but at least we both still cared. I wouldn't lose him yet.

Yet.

"I'm glad! You still look like you need some help Starlord." Cyra pointed out the obvious.

"Yeah I do, think you can help?" I asked as I started to lean heavily on the doorframe.

"Of course." Cyra easily agreed, and I leaned on her for support.

"Just one thing before I go, can you keep my identity a secret? You know, what I look like beneath the mask? It's all I have left of home…" I kindly whispered, trying to use a bit of friendly charm to make sure my identity stayed hidden.

"Yeah. I can." She seriously whispered back, and we managed to get outside.

"Dad!" Lloyd cheered out as he saw his father in the floating… Helicopter? I didn't want to call it the 'Ninjacopter,' it felt weird. I can't call it Wingless Jet, because it's not a jet, and Wingless Cargo doesn't fit. Superflyer still didn't match up. Then I came up with Fighter Flyer. That sounded better, and I claimed it as the Fighter Flyer!

"Son!" Garmadon jubilantly called out, hugging him as the Fighter Flyer landed. It was a cute moment, and I 'aww'ed under my breath. Unsurprisingly, so did Cyra.

"Well, I've really got to thank you for taking care of us Cyra. You were a great help and I really appreciate everything you've done for us during our short stay." I thanked her, and she brushed it off.

"It was nothing! Today I'll get to brag about new people coming to my house for a while! Maybe you guys should come back sometime!" Cyra laughed, and I nodded.

"I've got some spare paper. I can write down your address." I smiled, taking out my pen and paper.

"Cool! It's 11 Newhare Avenue, Desotown. You'll find it in the middle of nowhere if you look on a GPS." Cyra smiled, and I laughed.

"I know the feeling! Anyways, I have to go. It was really nice meeting you!" I happily cried out as I got on the Fighter Flyer.

"Bye!" Cyra sadly replied, but still had a happy face. We lifted off, soon leaving Cyra's small village behind. I quickly stuffed the paper away, in hopes that it wouldn't fly away.

"I hope you got along while I was gone. It certainly seems like you met someone new." Garmadon noted, being the only other person in the Fighter Flyer than Lloyd. I shrugged, not willing to talk about it. I sat in the back, watching the ground move beneath us.

"Well, 'getting along' is a bit of a stretch, but I think we've figured some things out." Lloyd sheepishly admitted.

"Yeah. And try _not_ to get into any situations like that again. Dragging you across a jungle wasn't exactly pleasant." I laughed, and Lloyd shrugged.

"Who knows? Maybe you'll have to drag me all across Ninjago!" Lloyd joked.

"The day I do that is the day I steal a shopping cart!" I poked back, and we all laughed.

"Whatever the matter, we are heading back to New Ninjago City." Garmadon informed, and Lloyd shook his head.

"I've got a different plan. Do you think we could head back to the Temple of Light with everyone?" Lloyd asked, and Garmadon agreed, trusting his son. Then I started thinking, how was this being powered? Wasn't Power Sub-Station destroyed?

"Hey, how are we flying? I thought all the power was cut off." I curiously questioned Garmadon.

"We repaired the power station after he system reboot, so power is available to everyone again. But it's been advised not to get too attached to electronics." Garmadon replied.

"That's good, then everyone who is connected can get on with their daily lives." I pointed out the obvious. Silence soon infected the air, lingering as we flew above Ninjago. I watched as the ground went from a forest to a lush green land filled with flowers.

"Do you want to do the questionnaire thing again?" Lloyd hesitantly asked, and I looked up from the ground.

"Why not? And this time I don't need to ask anything. I already know a lot about you guys." I declared, and Garmadon agreed to it as well.

"Honestly, I don't know what to ask you Dad." Lloyd nervously admitted.

"That's quite alright. In fact, I think you," Garmadon gestured to me, "Are the most interesting person here."

"Me? Well, I suppose that would make sense. I guess you guys can ask me questions. Just try to stay away from personal things. You've seen me when I get emotional." I awkwardly decided to go ahead with the questions.

"Alright. So, where did your power come from?" Lloyd wondered.

"Eh, mainly coal and oil. Of course that leads to bad things for the Earth's environment, but we were trying to find more renewable energy. Some people really care about that, and some others don't." I answered, and it was Garmadon's turn to ask.

"How far back does your ancestry go? You talk about your home as if a thousand years has passed." Garmadon curiously asked, obviously not understanding the amount of time humanity had been alive.

"My ancestry? I was able to trace it to about six hundred years back, so plenty of generations. As for a thousand years passing… Humanity is a bit older than that. I think Humanity is about twelve thousand years old, but that's an approximate guess. Our species isn't the oldest around. We're just the smartest and most innovative." I explained, and Lloyd looked at me in shock.

"B-but that means your world is almost ten times as old as Ninjago!" Lloyd exclaimed, blown away by the information.

"Really? Heh, then the age of the universe would be impossible for you guys to grasp then." I laughed, thinking about the age of the universe. I think it was about fourteen billion years old. Memories were getting fuzzier as I aged.

"How old could your universe possibly be?" Garmadon quietly asked in disbelief.

"Eh, I think it was fourteen billion years old or something. Closer to fifteen billion if I recall." I offhandedly replied. Let me just say, the shocked faces of both Garmadon and Lloyd were priceless! I started to snicker a bit, they both were just frozen! I'm pretty sure their brains are going all 'mind-blown' and explosions are happening everywhere! I can't remember the name of the video for that good old meme, but it fits so well! Wait, now was the perfect time to make a fun joke… Time for kid me!

"Hey Garmadon, is the information up dog?" I smirked, ready for the old sensei to finally make a mistake.

"What?" Garmadon finally came out of his trance.

"Is it up dog?" I goaded, and Garmadon replied without thought.

"What is up dog? Oh. _Oh_." Garmadon couldn't even begin his next sentence before I was laughing hysterically.

"I did it! I managed to make you say it! I have succeeded at life!" I burst out, as Garmadon simply rolled his eyes and facepalmed. Lloyd finally noticed, then realized what I just managed to make his dad say.

Now there were two laughing kids in the back!

"I can't believe you managed to do that!" Lloyd laughed out, high fiving me.

"I know! Pulling a fast one on your dad is practically impossible!" I cheered back, but I could tell Garmadon was planning to get some revenge.

"Just like falling into a fridge?" Garmadon retorted, and Lloyd laughed harder.

"Okay okay, you win! So, anything else you guys want to ask?" I finally calmed down, with Lloyd slowly starting to stop laughing.

"Okay, besides insane information, what was the coolest thing that you guys did in your history?" Lloyd wondered, and I hummed in thought.

"The most non-mindblowing information I can think of is Vocaloid. Vocaloids are recordings of someone's voice that you can turn into songs. A voice synthesizer with a character added. You get a voice, and the voice has a character with it and boom! You can make songs. They even had a few concerts." I shrugged.

"Concerts?" Garmadon confusedly asked.

"Yeah, concerts where the characters would dance to their song on stage. Of course, it's only a light projection, but it is pretty cool." I replied, and once again, the two were in shock.

"Oh my goodness, my world isn't that amazing. For just as much good, there is the bad." I shuddered, thinking about all the disappointments of Earth.

"As bad as an evil overlord wanting to rule the world?" Garmadon raised a brow, doubting me.

"We've already had that quite a few times. Our penchant for violence is one of our bad traits. Of course, greed and discrimination have also been problems. We do try to overcome them, and we have progressed, but there is always the lingering touch of our evolution." I sighed, being vague about Earth.

"What's discrimination?" Lloyd confusedly asked. I froze, how innocent was Ninjago?

"Lloyd, Garmadon, for your own mental safety, I am not going to answer that." I slowly refused.

"Oh. Okay." Lloyd simply responded, and silence took over. With the silence, came thoughts and emotions. Why wouldn't the emotions go away? I once again attempted to push them back, and barely succeeded. I needed them out of the way, especially since Lloyd's going to space and Zane's death.

Looking out of the Fighter Flyer, I watched the ground change, and become more desert-like. We must have been getting closer to New Ninjago City, as the desert was the main biome that surrounded the city. I turned to face the horizon in front of us, and saw the shadow of the city.

"We're getting close to the city." Garmadon noted, and Lloyd perked up.

"Alright. Do you think we can get a vehicle that'll carry everyone else too?" Lloyd requested.

"Of course, I'm sure we can all get our own transport." Garmadon reassured. We arrived at the city shortly, the Fighter Flyer smoothly landing nearby Borg Industries. Lloyd was the first to step out, and I jumped out afterwards. I was still sore, but the soreness was no longer as painful. I suppose the rest helped, but I needed to keep resting. I'd be no use as a deadweight.

"You alright? You look like you're about to collapse." Lloyd pointed out with concern. I looked down to see my legs shaking. I don't think painkillers can fix this.

"Uh… Yeah. I think I might need some help." I forced out, not enjoying the fact that I still had to rely on Lloyd. At least it was outside of the timeline, help outside of the timeline is alright. It's a lot better than having Nya save me. Lloyd walked over, holding me up with his arm.

"Here you go. But you still look like you need time to recover." Lloyd noted.

"I know, I think I can rest on the way to wherever you want to go." I shrugged, walking up the steps to Borg Industries.

"If you're sure…" Lloyd trailed off, starting to talk with his father. Walking into the building, I looked around in awe at the building. It seemed so much bigger now that I was actually _here_. It felt like being in a mansion in the middle of New York City, it felt impossibly amazing. All of the materials were sleek and modern, while sunlight still filtered through the huge windows.

"Dang. This place is more impressive than I thought." I whistled, staring out of the elevator window.

"I know! The city really changed after we left." Lloyd agreed, still holding me up. I shuffled awkwardly, realizing the others would see me being held up by Lloyd. However, if I wanted to keep walking, I needed him to keep me up. Eventually we made it up to the top floor, where everyone was waiting. Taking a breath in, I pushed my nervousness aside as best as I could.

"We're alive!" I dragged out, Lloyd rolling his eyes in slight annoyance as he helped me out of the elevator.

"Yeah, we're back." Lloyd smiled, and the others ran up and hugged him. Therefore, I was dropped. Then, everyone was crowding Lloyd and accidentally pushing me. That meant that I was ungracefully pushed to the floor!

"Ow! Floors are painful." I groaned, pain flaring through my body.

"Sis! Geez, I'm so sorry! Here let me help you up…" Lloyd worried as he pushed through his friends to reach me. Grabbing my pack, he pulled me up. Quickly standing with Lloyd's help, I steadied myself.

"It's alright. Nothing but an accident." I reassured. The others turned to face me. Kai looked displeased, but said nothing. Everyone else looked at least a little relieved. But it seemed Garmadon was busy talking to Sensei Wu.

"Good to know you're back Starlord." Zane greeted, and I nodded.

"Thanks. It's nice to be back, especially after dragging Lloyd across the forest near Desotown." I smiled, and Lloyd shied away slightly in embarrassment.

"Come on, it wasn't that bad…" Lloyd mumbled, and I shrugged. Might as well let him keep some dignity.

"If you say so. Anyways, how has it been over here? I'm guessing we missed some action." I asked, and Jay began to ramble excitedly. I squinted, trying my best to understand.

"We-Digiverse-Cool-Video-Game…" I shook my head, not having the brain power to pay attention.

"Okay, Jay? You need to slow down. I am not able to understand you." I interjected Jay's ramble.

"But it was so cool!" Jay whined.

"I'll explain. We went into the Digiverse, found out we could control the world around us inside the Digiverse, and rebooted the system after fighting the Overlord. But sadly, Borg was taken." Cole simply replied.

"I know we'll find Borg soon… But wait… Aw, I missed a good chance to use the 'there is no spoon' reference!" I pouted, and Lloyd laughed.

"Let me guess, it's a home reference?" Lloyd asked.

"Yep! We had a movie called 'The Matrix.' Simply put, it's a digital world that everyone lives in but doesn't know it, and then when they realize the world isn't real, they can do whatever they want." I shrugged.

"Woah, that sounds awesome!" Jay cheered, calmed down enough to talk.

"Hey, why's Lloyd holding you up? You look tired." Kai noted, at least looking somewhat concerned.

"Well, like I said, I had to drag Lloyd across the forest to get to Desotown, and before that I had to swim him to shore. I had already been nearly crushed by Lloyd's dad falling out of the sky, so at that point I was already sore and still recovering from the shock. I'm still not in the best of shape, and I can't stand without my legs shaking. That's why Lloyd is helping me walk. Thanks for that Lloyd, it's not exactly something that most people do…" I thanked Lloyd, and he shook his head.

"No it's fine. Anyways, I was thinking of going back to the Temple of Light. There's something we need to do there." Lloyd spoke.

"Why? We have already done everything the prophecy had said long ago." Zane asked, and I was careful not to answer. I already knew why Lloyd wanted to go to the Temple of Light.

"I'll explain it on the way. Do you guys have something to get to the island?" Lloyd said.

"We've got something." Nya shrugged, and I nodded.

"Sounds good. I'm guessing we're getting back in the Fighter Flyer?" I thought aloud, and everyone looked confused.

"Is that what you named the heli-flyer?" Garmadon amusedly wondered.

"Oh! That's what it's called! Yeah, I named it the Fighter Flyer. Every other name I came up with was kind of stupid." I awkwardly answered.

"Yeah, we'll be going back. This time I can co-pilot with my dad, while you rest in the back." Lloyd sternly replied. I rolled my eyes a little, of course I was going to rest! I may not be going to space, but to be at my A-game was important.

"If you could send a person or two with you, that would help actually. It seems like one of my larger flyers have been disconnected from the power." Nya requested, closing something on her bracelet.

"I think we could get two people on board." I agreed.

"Who wants to go with us then?" Lloyd offered, and Kai stepped back immediately. Jay stepped back hesitantly, while Zane stepped forward. Cole stepped forwards, ending the volunteering.

"Good. Looks like we have everyone. Follow us, we'll get you guys to the heli-flyer." Lloyd , Zane, and Cole followed behind us as we walked into the elevator. The others started chatting with one another while I just stood awkwardly.

Stepping outside the elevator, our small group walked back to the Fighter Flyer. Sitting in the back, I got the middle seat since I was the smallest. To me, I didn't care. I honestly just needed to save my energy, being sore and unable to _walk_ is something I can't afford.

Leaning back into the seat as best as I could, I decided to fall asleep.

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 **I feel like most of this chapter is just... Ehhhhhh. Hopefully you guys like it better than I do, and expect it to get even more emotional as time goes on! Hehehe!**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HAVE A GREAT DAY!**


	6. Chapter 6

**I'm so sorry for taking forever to upload this! I've been super busy and I had to go on a vacation where I was very limited with doing anything on the internet! :( I'm so sorry about this, hopefully this emotional (but shorter than usual) chapter will cheer you up! Sorta...**

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"Hey, wake up. We're here." Cole gently shook me awake. Groaning, I sat up and looked around.

"Oh. Alright." I yawned, rubbing my eyes as I stepped out the Fighter Flyer with the help of Cole.

"Do you think you can stand?" Cole asked politely, and I hummed in thought.

"Not sure, to be honest. I can try." I admitted, and Cole slowly let me go. Looking down at my legs, I stared at their shakiness. Pain started to creep up from my ankles, blossoming throughout my legs.

"No, I don't think I can stand for much longer. It's starting to get painful." I noted, holding onto Cole to get rid of the pain.

"Geez, how bad did you get hurt?" Cole wondered in disbelief.

"Hurt enough to be a liability. I'm a kid, not a fighting machine." I grumbled. Cole held me up this time, and I looked around to see everyone looking slightly disturbed. I suspected they thought of me as some sort of invincible child of death, unable to get injured. If only that were the case.

"I'm going to set you down out here with our Sensei. I'm not sure if it would be best for you to go inside with your current injuries." Cole said as he put me down outside the temple walls, and I was forced to sit thanks to my injuries. The only thing I could really do was watch Sensei Wu talk with Sensei Garmadon. However, I was annoyed by the fact that I couldn't hear them. Deciding to do something else, I opened up my journal and began to write.

 _It's annoying being unable to walk without help. Along with this, time is slowly catching up, more and more changes are present. Going with Lloyd made it so that I didn't make any big changes. But big changes happened anyways. I haven't been able to contact Vastu, and it's getting harder to keep Lloyd on my side. Every day I face having all of these emotions. The coma did something to me, it made me much more touchy-feely. If someone crosses a line, then I just flip out. I'm hoping that 'The Titanium Ninja' goes according to plan, as it seems time is slowly falling apart._

Finishing up the small entry, I looked up from my journal. I sighed, trying to understand what to do. The Ninja were going to go to space, while I stay firmly on Earth. That's one thing for sure, but what about Zane's death?

I fear something will go terribly wrong. Time has been shifting, and death inches ever so close to the Ninja. Pulling out my pen, I twisted the familiar object around. It was an extension of my violence, and my words. It reminded me of death, especially of my Bizarro Self. I had killed her long ago, and I had moved on, barely. My justifications were weak, but it was enough of a convincing lie to myself, that I was able to live.

Pushing away any tears that threatened to surface from reminiscing about Bizzaro me, I grasped the pen with shaky hands. My emotions were running wild, and I needed time away from people.

"You've got something on your mind, don't you?" Lloyd easily pointed out.

"I've got a lot of things on my mind." I mumbled. Lloyd grasped my shoulders, forcing me to look into his eyes.

"Look, you've been acting strange. I know _you_ , not this… Stoic and angry ball of fear! I know you can't help, and I still don't quite forgive you completely for what happened in the dragon. What's going on?" Lloyd demanded. I wasn't sure what to say.

"The world is falling apart at the seams, and you don't even notice…" I whispered as I curled up into a ball.

"What do you mea-" I cut him off.

"I'm breaking the rules of your world! I don't belong here! I'm _trapped_ here! I'm trapped by the weight of every speck, life, and boulder of this land!" I screamed while curling up into a ball. Lloyd stopped, dumbstruck by my outburst.

"You weren't supposed to say that, Starlord. You were to stay strong and silent. You can't let him bear your burden. Every wrong turn that you make should not be his mistake…" I whispered to myself, trembling with my pen in hand. Lloyd put his hand on my shoulder, attempting to calm me down.

"Don't say that. I care for you willingly, you're just hard to live with sometimes." Lloyd reassured.

"How do you stay? Only our old friend has stayed, other than you…" I whimpered, curling even tighter.

"Because you're my _sister_. I know you're going to make mistakes, and I'm going to try and be there for you when you need me." Lloyd coaxed.

"… Let me run."

"What?"

"When the worst thing possible for you guys happens, let me run. Don't chase me. Don't touch me. Let me run away and scream my heart out to the heavens." I begged, grabbing onto Lloyd firmly.

"Sis, I can't promise that." Lloyd refused with concern. I flinched away, thinking of what may happen. Yes, the hatred in their eyes…

"We'd never _hate_ you. Dislike, even maybe detest, but _not_ hate." Lloyd assured. I sighed shakily, looking at Lloyd intently. I held up my pen to him.

"Ask Jay what happened in the subway. Ask him what he saw me do with this very pen. Ask Zane about what this did to him. See the fear in their eyes. That clone may have just poofed away, but people do not." I hissed, certain that the future was set in stone. Lloyd frowned, and stepped back, able to take somewhat of a hint.

I then finally looked at the world around me, and saw the others look away quickly. Kai was slower to turn his head, flame in his hands as a threat.

Tch, if he thinks my own death scares me now, he is wrong.

It is the death of others I am afraid of, for time can only strain so much.

Still unable to walk, I watched the Ninja play with their powers for a while, before Garmadon walked over. Raising an eyebrow in curiosity, I watched as he stood next to me. He stared down at me, his face tight and emotionless.

"I suspect you're concerned for Lloyd." I stated, turning away from the old man.

"I am."

"To be honest so am I. There's so much going on, and it's only going to get worse from here on out…" I sighed, the dirt suddenly becoming very interesting.

"I cannot stop you two, but I warn you… I will be watching very closely." Garmadon squinted as he leaned down towards me. I started to laugh uncontrollably.

"You? Watch me? Ahahaha! You think I wanted this? I had to save you from death, far earlier than what should have been! If anyone's watching, it's me!" I giggled out, my emotions scrambled and rampant. Garmadon glared, and stamped down his staff harshly in front of me.

"I suggest you take my warning seriously." I steeled up, and grasped onto Garmadon, using my sore arms to pull myself up to his height.

"Then take my words seriously. My business is mine alone. Get too close, and either you will return bruised and battered, or living in paranoia for the rest of your life. After all, I often see the worst in people." I whispered, almost silent, before dropping myself back to the ground.

Garmadon was silent and walked away.

I sat in silence, not paying attention to the world around me.

Then I noticed Lloyd talking to a nervous Jay. Jay was rubbing his hands nervously, almost scratching. I quickly turned my head away, not exactly proud of what I had done long ago. It was only appropriate I gave him his space with Lloyd.

Humming to myself softly, I reminded myself that I needed to space myself from people here. I needed to remember my roots, my home world.

I needed to remember the cruelty of Earth.

I am the necessary evil of this place.

 _I_ am the one who guides the Ninjas fates right now.

Though I am no god, I will do my best to keep everything as it should be.

…

Kai walked over. One of his hands occasionally sparked.

"If you are here for some sort of tarot card reading, you'd best walk onwards and far away from me." I muttered, my anger with Kai bubbling underneath my indifferent expression.

"You've made Jay nervous again." Kai simply replied.

"I told Lloyd to speak with him, yes. The inability to move on is his own liability." I corrected. Kai silently fumed for a moment longer.

"What makes you think that you can control us?" Kai dangerously whispered.

"I do not control you," An easy lie, "as I am no writer of fate. Perhaps an unintentional influencer, but I am _not_ in control."

Kai was silent for another moment.

"Then what are you? What goes on in your head? Somehow you turn out to be the good guy and the bad guy all at once." Kai sighed.

"I couldn't tell you that, even if I wanted to. I don't fully understand what's happening to me. Ever since that coma, my emotions have been amplified. My fears, my happiness, my sadness, I don't know what to do with all of it! I'm teetering on a dangerous edge all the time, and I can't keep balancing on it. Either I'm going to have the ground swept from under me, or I will fall. Simple as that." I whispered back.

"You're a strange kid." Kai muttered.

"Always have, always will be. I don't have much choice."

"Everybody has a choice."

"Not in my world, not in my life. Everyone goes through the process of life. Get an education, get a job, get a kid, die. Very few people actually get to escape from it, or they die before they get a chance to do what they want." I replied.

"Die?"

"Remember that picture Kai? Many people died that day. People die every day. Natural cause, murder, suicide…" I paused, "Maybe even accidents. We are the masters of death, love, intelligence and more. I grew up in a world where death is blared in your face every moment of your life. This place is so peaceful, everyone happy and carefree. My world could never reach this, yet everyone dreams of it." I sadly reminded Kai, drawing scribbles in the dirt with my pen. Kai was silent, the sparks long gone. His angry expression turned to a sad one.

"I keep Lloyd in the dark about my world as best as I can, but being my brother he is bound to learn some things. You learn more about the war and pain of my world. I am sorry for burdening you with the pain of mankind. Even if we do not see eye to eye, I should have never put this on to you."

"I'm sorry you grew up in a world like that." Then Kai walked away.

Lloyd walked back. I wondered how much longer it would take before we would leave the island.

"Why? Why would you do that?" Lloyd asked with a childish innocence.

"Survival. Observing. I did not care at the time. Now that I have grown in a new environment, my mind has changed too. And for what I do, that's not a good thing."

"That still doesn't justify it!" Lloyd cried out, clearly upset with me again.

"I did both out of my own survival, and I had warned the Constrictai before stabbing him! I was always sure to give them a chance before making a move! I do not attack without good reason!" I yelled back, furious that he would _dare_ call it unjustified! I took the utmost care in avoiding stabbing people!

"Hurting people isn't right!" I slammed my fist against the wall, careful not to damage my pen.

"YOU BETTER WATCH WHAT YOU SAY, HYPOCRITE!" I screamed at the top of my lungs, furious. Lloyd flinched back, unconsciously falling into a defense position. I took deep breaths, my rage flaring. Everyone turned to us, but said nothing.

"I am not a hypocrite." Lloyd nearly whispered, his own anger skyrocketing.

"Oh really? Tell me that every Serpentine that you have attacked didn't have friends, family, or their own desires. Tell me that every foe you have faced isn't a person, that they don't have feelings or a brain." I hissed, glaring at Lloyd. Lloyd looked stricken, stepping back further.

"T-They were trying to take ove-" I cut him off.

"'That still doesn't justify it! Hurting people isn't right!'" I mocked him. Even though he was my brother, he needed to know that I cannot be bound by morals. Not everyone can follow his ways.

"Bu-" I was in no mood to be kind.

"You can tell me you're in the right as much as you want, but why should I believe you?" I sneered, making him feel my pressure. A part of me started to think that this was going too far.

They should've sensed my sour mood the moment they were within sight of me.

But then I saw a single tear fall down Lloyd's face as he turned away sharply, his breath uneven and raspy. Guilt settled into my bones once more, promising to stay for a very, _very_ long time.

Lloyd walked off, hiding somewhere around the temple. I curled up, trying to remove the new weight from my body. Despite nothing being put on top of me, I felt like my bones were made of gold. Heavy, and fragile.

"I'm not a good person. I've turned into the nightmare my world demanded that I should never be, haven't I?" I whispered to myself, barely even able to hear what I said.

No one was willing to come up to me this time. I couldn't blame them anyways, I didn't even want to be around me.

Why me? Why did I choose to keep doing this? Oh right, it was to protect Ninjago… After all, the times were changing…

So was Lloyd. He wasn't an oblivious child anymore, he was starting to figure out what was right and wrong to him. His world was becoming black and white, while mine remained grey and blue. My world was filled with little rules, and many regrets.

I desperately wanted to keep Lloyd on at my side as family, but as time moved on, it seemed to become more and more impossible.

Cole walked up to me in silence, understanding I was in no mood to talk. He just picked me up and set me down inside the Fighter Flyer, and I made sure I was secure. I held my pen out firmly, signaling that I was probably going to hurt anyone who talked to me.

I remember the blood spilt because of me. Because I wielded this pen, and chose to stab them.

I remember Bizarro me laughing as I killed her.

I remember Jay's terrified face.

I remember Zane's shout of pain.

How he trusted me still, was something unknown to me.

Then I decided to write in my journal. I needed to get these emotions out, one way or the other!

 _I made Lloyd cry. I made him rethink on what his morals are. Am I a good person? Am I a nightmare? I'm starting to think I'm worse than a nightmare. I've begun to represent the horror of Earth, our inability to realize when to stop. We humans are good at many things. But we are the best at hurting and killing each other._

 _I am afraid for the future now. I have obviously had a psychological impact on this group, and I am fearful of what effects that will have. I know I cannot leave, and I will continue my observations. Yet, emotions still hold me back. Writing in this manages to hold them back at least, my words becoming the holders of my pains. I have yet to see what the finale has in store, and I am confident something will go wrong._

 _Am I slowly going insane?_

I left the entry with those sombre and concerning words. Perhaps it was the purity of this world that was leaving me unstable, being unable to adapt to the pure goodness of this place. Even then, if there were _blemishes_ that reminded me of Earth here, they wouldn't seem to belong. Nothing that does not believe in the same values of Ninjago seems to belong.

Twisting the pen top back into place, I sighed and mumbled incoherent thoughts of my actions. Then I finally noticed Zane and Cole sitting beside me. Cole was stony, staring away from me. Zane looked contemplative, watching Kai support a sobbing Lloyd. Kai gave me a glare that practically promised death.

Lloyd noticed me too, and gave me a weak glare of his own. Tears were streaming down his face. I winced, guilt settling in heavier than before.

I'm a dead girl walking, aren't I?

Glancing at my pen, I held it tightly. Should Kai go all out on me again, I was not going to win. I could try to escape, but he is faster than me. If I managed to hit him with this, he'd never forgive me.

No one would forgive me.

No one wants to forgive me.

I don't forgive myself, for I try to believe that it was all necessary and nonpersonal.

The two stumbled closer, the others riding with Nya.

Kai's free hand held a flame, not just sparks. He was filled with rage, ready to attack at the slightest of movements.

Lloyd showed no signs of stopping his crying, despite being around his friends.

I hit him deep, didn't I?

"All is fair in love and war they say, but both pierce through the heart like bullets." I mumbled to myself, putting my pen away. I didn't want to see the pain anymore. I had caused enough with my words today.

THe two reached the Fighter Flyer, and Lloyd sat up front with Kai. Kai turned back to face me, and glared at me angrily.

"You and I are going to talk." Kai whispered, before silently turning to pilot.

I shrunk, knowing I was likely going to get beat into the ground soon. Kai was clearly angry, and Lloyd upset. To put it simply, I had dug my own grave. I bet Kai would know about the Mechdragon incident soon, if he doesn't know already.

I remember I had told Kai that he didn't have to trust me, just tolerate me. Seems like my request was a double-edged blade, because neither of us had to trust each other or follow the rules.

Standing on my own two feet was a challenge, if Kai and I fought… Would I even be able to walk when Zane's death came around? If something went wrong, would I be able to fix it?

Sighing, I put my head in my hands, trying to push my thoughts away.

Screw up. I'm a screw up.

Everything I try to do seems to fall apart. I hurt my anchor.

No, I must push my thoughts away! I have to!

But how could I when I made my brother cry?

Worthless! I don't deserve family if this is what I do to them!

Voices started to scream that I was worthless, that I deserved to get beaten by Kai. I winced as they got louder, screaming that I didn't deserve to be alive. That everything was my fault.

But one made the mistake of saying I should jump out of the Fighter Flyer.

"SHUT UP! HE SAVED ME FOR A REASON! I CAN'T WASTE THAT!" I shouted suddenly, causing Kai to lose control of the Fighter Flyer for a moment.

"What was that!" Kai demanded.

"There's some God forsaken voices in my head for no reason! They're freaking _screaming_ at me! I understand if they tell me some things, but I am _not jumping out of this thing_! I was given a second chance, I am not going to waste that!" I struggled to keep conversation with Kai while the voices screeched.

"Are you alright? This may be a symptom of your co-" Zane tried to calm me down.

"OF COURSE IT'S FROM MY COMA! I'VE NEVER HAD THIS BEFORE!" I panicked, trying to deal with the voices.

"What are the voices telling you?" Cole spoke up for once, a spark of recognition in his eyes. I thought for a moment, whimpering slightly. Was I willing to be so personal in front of everyone?

The voices started to scream and laugh, believing I wouldn't say a word.

Honestly, I didn't _want_ to say anything. But I needed something, _anything_ , to distract me from their chatter.

"T-they're telling me I'm worthless. Everything that's been happening is my fault. That I should jump again." I whispered, my voice cracking more than I would like.

"I thought two dang years of house arrest would've taught you _not_ to think like that, dang it!" Lloyd shouted, fresh tears falling as he turned to face me.

"Why care? I sure as crap don't deserve it." I curled up, trying to hide. The voices screeched with anger, furious I even attempted to talk about them. But it was quieter now at least.

"Look, I've been through the same thing. After I ran away from home, voices started to tell me I'm worthless too. I found something to keep them away. I started climbing, and then I became a Ninja. I still felt guilty, but then when I made it up to my father, they disappeared. Just let it out, you'll feel better." Cole advised, admitting he once had had this issue too.

"I-I swear I'm trying. I swear! I didn't mean to get involved! I'm trying to save everyone from my mistakes!" I blurted out, a tear falling from my eye. The voices grew louder again. However, one of them stood out.

" _You know he won't care for you after Zane dies. I bet he won't stop Kai from beating you later._ "

"O-oh god."

"Sis?"

"I'm tired of this."

"This isn't right. I think she needs a doctor."

"A voice told her something really bad. I've seen that face on myself too many times."

"I-I'm scared. I'm not normal. T-They're right. W-"

" _T-take a mo-oment to th-i-ink of just flexibility love and trus-t-t._ " Lloyd sang, quite off key and stuttery. I looked at him, my eyes wide. I hadn't taught him that song. I sang that whenever I was alone in my room!

" _Tak-ke a m-mome-en-t-t to t-th-hink of j-jus-t-t flexibilt-ty love and t-r-ust._ " I sang back, my own voice stuttering.

" _Her-re com-mes a though-t t-tha-t mig-ght alarm yo-u-u."_ He stammered, reaching for a hug.

"I'm so s-sorry Lloyd, I-I wou-d-dn't be surp-r-rised if you nev-e-er for-rgave me." I sobbed quietly, hugging the Green Ninja tightly. Lloyd hushed me, continuing to sing.

I listened, crying into Lloyd's shoulder the whole time. The voices however, were still laughing. They were unable to drown out Lloyd, but they still blared in my ears.

" _He cares for you now, but who's to say that will last? After all, if you have to set up Zane's death, you'll be nothing but a wanted criminal. Hated for killing one of the Ninja! You're going to die, by the hands of Ninjago or your own!"_ One giggled.

" _Your 'precious anchor' is crying because of you! Observe? Bah! It's one of the many things you've failed at!_ "

" _I-t's okay it's ok-kay it's okay…_ " Lloyd coaxed.

"No, it's not. It's really not. I'm so sorry, please don't hurt me…"

Our sobs filled the Fighter Flyer for some time.

* * *

 **Hehe... one of my friends had me get obsessed with that song for a while, and if you are careful, you can see I like to put different song references in parts of my story. Mainly I did this one to surprise her, but she hasn't gotten to that part yet. Oh well. And I really am sorry that I haven't uploaded, I've been so busy I haven't edited this story for a long time! Heck, even my Christmas Break will be full too... I'll upload another chapter in December, and I'll make it extra large, because chances are I won't be able to update until 2018. Thanks for all of your support! I really appreciate it, and I look forward to writing Season 4!**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HAVE A WONDERFUL DAY!**


	7. Chapter 7

**As I promised, one super long and emotional chapter for you all! However, I will not update this for a while! Since I have had Write's Block, there are only a few more pages until the end of my Google Doc. Don't worry, it's not the end of this book! I plan to have two seasons per book, so I just need t start writing the Tournament. Seriously though, this is super long! Enjoy it!**

 **(Just so I don't forget: There is a suicide attempt in this chapter, take caution I guess?)**

* * *

"I suggest you see a psychiat-" Zane suggested, but I cut him off.

"No. I can't trust them for a multitude of reasons."

"They do not loc-"

"Not what I meant, Zane. I don't know if you have the Privacy Act or whatever, or even if your 'psychiatrists' are as well trained as ours. Obviously your doctors were pretty bad. I didn't even have tubes in me! They didn't even take my hood off, and that's just basic medical safety!" I growled.

Stepping into Borg Tower, I turned to face a still angry Kai. Zane's harsh glare kept him at bay, but I did not know for how long. I still couldn't walk, and Zane was the only one willing to help me.

Lloyd was wary of me, not calling me 'Sis' anymore. He seemed conflicted, unsure of himself.

It stung to know I planted that seed of doubt inside himself. Things like that don't just go away.

I wondered how he managed to learn that song. I had sung it whenever I felt alone at the house. I didn't sing often, but I did it occasionally. Singing was private to me, as exposing my feelings so profoundly was uncomfortable. Obviously I'd need to more careful in the future.

"May I speak to you for a moment?" Zane requested.

"Sure. What's on your mind?"

"You've caused a lot of pain for my brothers, especially Kai and Lloyd. I fear that you may be inflicting psychological damage on them. Jay is also scarred, but he is starting to deal with it. Please, I urge that you change your ways! I am afraid for them, and for you." Zane pleaded, turning to me with sad eyes.

"I wish I could. I really wish I could. If I did, who knows what would happen? You haven't been around me lately, but haven't you noticed? Things seem off, don't they?" I hoped Zane noticed.

"I-I can agree. Scales Junior nearly died when we were underground, and Ed's jetpack had malfunctioned on his way out. Amongst other minor things." Zane noted, and I practically choked on air.

"What! Why was I not informed of this!" I screeched as I began to panic. Hadn't my brain suffered enough today?

"Starlord, calm down. We are obviously unhar-"

"I can see that! But what if you didn't make it? The smallest of changes have the biggest effects! I cannot leave, not now! There are too many variables now! I- list… I've got to make my list!" I rushed out, grabbing my pen and journal.

 _13\. Calculate how much time changes during each event and calculate the rate of decline._

 _14\. Determine likely event changes and prepare for the worst._

 _15._

Zane gently stopped me from writing.

"We are fine. We will all be fine. You do not need to worry so much."

I remained silent, a snappy remark begging to get out. But if it did, it would spoil Zane's death.

"I think I just need to rest." I sighed, looking down. I noticed I had messed up a lot of things on my list. Good relations with the Ninja? Hah! That was probably nothing less than a pipe dream now.

"Please, just… Think about it. Despite what you may think, we do not believe you are completely a bad person. You are young, and likely can change…" Zane quietly spoke.

"Haha, I think you have all forgotten how stubborn I am. I can guarantee nothing, but I can try to limit myself. I wouldn't count on it though." I replied.

"Thank you for at least considering it." Zane smiled.

"Yeah…" I trailed off, before looking for a semi-comfortable place to rest. Seeing a bench, I awkwardly pointed it out. Zane silently nodded, setting me down on the bench. I thanked him, before politely shooing him away.

Alone at last.

"I'm _royally_ pissed, Starlord."

Aw, come on!

"What do you need Kai?" I sighed, crossing my arms. His glare intensified.

"You're a kid. It can be hard to remember that. But you seriously hurt my brothers and I am not known for my mercy." Kai threatened.

"I know you aren't. I know I'm still a minor. Honestly, I'm surprised I'm not in a detention center yet. There's not much I can do for you." I replied offhandedly, looking away.

"I'm very, _very_ tempted to yell at you, even _fight_ you. All you've caused is hurt and I am getting tired of seeing my friends in pain! Zane and Lloyd stick up for you, but it seems like Lloyd isn't going to stay much longer. I'm surprised that Zane keeps standing up for you. Jay's much more nervous than before and Cole is starting to remember some pretty bad things."

The voices returned, steadily growing louder. All of them laughed about how Lloyd was going to leave me.

"You really don't get it, do you? Haha, either you are innocent or you weren't paying attention. The voices told me to jump out of the Fighter Flyer midair. I wouldn't have survived that drop. Get it now?" I snapped. Kai flinched back slightly, a spark of recognition in his eyes.

" _You always seem to bring back bad memories, don't you?_ " A voice hissed deviously.

"Shut up. I know I do. I can't help it." I whispered back, and Kai looked at me strangely.

"You're crazy."

"Just… Go. Don't waste your time with me." I replied, the voices growing louder again. I ignored them.

Kai started to walk away, before halfway he turned back and threw a fireball in my direction. I dodged it, my muscles screaming in pain.

"You think I'm crazy? You're going to burn this place down!" I yelled, and Kai shook his head.

"Already asked about it. Apparently everything here is fire-proof." He shot another fireball at me. I grabbed my pen quickly, nearly getting hit again.

"Screw you!" I screamed back, trying to find a place to run. All exits were blocked by him. There wasn't even an elevator!

"You're breaking us all apart! You know this isn't supposed to happen!" He threw another one, and it hit my foot. I screamed, dropping and desperately trying to put out the fire. Cursing as I finally managed to put it out, I looked up to see Kai with both hands on fire. My pen was too far away from me to grab, I had dropped it while putting out the fire.

"What do you think you're going to get out of this, huh? Is it going to bring you satisfaction? It never did for me!" I yelled, trying to inch away, but I had strained my muscles too far already.

"I'm not going to kill you. You really are crazy. I'm just turning you in." Kai blandly replied.

I squirmed and struggled, eyes wide and frightened as Kai picked me up and hauled me over his shoulder. I was terrified, my breaths short and quick. Things became sharper as adrenaline kicked in, and I noticed Kai's hair.

I'm sorry Kai, but your hair must be sacrificed. Besides, it's just hair.

Grabbing a spike of hair, I pulled as hard as I could and screamed.

"SOMEONE HELP ME STOP KAI!"

Kai yelped, dropping me in favor of his hair.

"That's my hair! You've gone too far!" Kai yelled back, but stopped his approach when Zane burst in.

"Kai, you must stop!"

" _Lloyd didn't come to rescue you!_ " A voice laughed as they returned with full force.

"Why should I? All she's ever done is bad, even she admits that she should be jail!" Kai argued, turning away from me.

"She is a child! It is more criminal for you to be doing this!"

"I'm tired. See you later…" I whispered, exhausted.

Black took over.

* * *

I woke to see Lloyd curled up on a nearby chair. I was in another hotel room, as everything was bland and basic.

Was he crying?

" _Of course he is. All you'll ever do is break his heart. Calling him an anchor to your life is stupid now._ "

I watched in silence, the atmosphere thick with depression.

"It's just like dad all over again…" Lloyd whimpered.

Remaining silent, I felt a tear of my own fall.

"We're all going to die." I whispered, knowing that I had broken the Ninja apart when they should have been nothing short of brothers.

"S-Starlord?" Lloyd stuttered as he noticed me.

"I'm a horrible person."

" _Finally you admit it._ "

"You haven't noticed yet… Have you?" Lloyd quietly sobbed, looking down at my legs.

 _Oh god_.

It was a cast, wrapping all up around my leg. I noticed the slight sting, realizing that when Kai hit me with the fireball… The mark would stay.

A complete illustration of what the scar would likely look like was perfectly drawn on the cast, almost looking like a paint splatter. Yet, it's edges changed from sharp and pointed to round and even flat. It went from my ankle to my knee on my left leg,

One small 'I'm sorry' was written on the bottom of the cast, written in red.

Kai.

"Oh."

"Starlord, I'm so sorry-"

" _Ooh look! Pity! Even after you made Kai hate you so much that he scarred you!_ "

"Don't! Don't… Apologize. I don't deserve it." I interrupted. Lloyd inched back, falling silent. He slowly pulled out a letter.

"Cole wrote you something."

I took the letter, and started to read. It wasn't long at all, just four words.

 _Don't listen to them._

" _You have no choice but to listen!_ "

"It's nice to know he understands." I smiled, but Lloyd knew me better than that.

"You can't keep doing this to yourself. You can't just lock yourself away!"

"Then what Lloyd? If I even try to open up, I will break all of your spirits! You cannot handle the history I carry, the lessons I have learned!"

"Yes we can!"

"Lloyd, I really don't want to hurt you, you're my brother! Your world is free of horror, why invite it?"

"No our world isn't free of villains. The Over-"

"The Overlord is not evil!" I shouted at Lloyd and he flinched back.

"What, you think he's good?"

"No! He is merely an idiot. If anything, he's just a nuisance. People wanting to take over the world? Had quite a few of them. I'd say that what he did was mild, as no one died. Not a single soul. But when my people tried to defeat one another… Let's just say Genghis Khan managed to kill one tenth or so of the world's population at that time. It's one statistic that always… Always reminds me of my lack of faith in the world at times." I sighed, and Lloyd scrambled back.

"T-the _whole_ world population?" He shrieked, accidentally knocking over a chair in shock.

"Yes. Think about that Lloyd, let it sit. If you think the Overlord is bad, what has he done? Torture? Murder? What do you think that stupid brat is capable of, compared to me?" I paused a moment, realizing that wasn't the best to say.

"Look, I do what I do because I'm scared. Very, very scared. For myself, and everyone living here. When Kai gets on my case like that, it brings out the anger inside me, the fear. I can't stop, and I won't. I-I GOD! I DON'T KNOW WHAT TO DO!" I screeched, starting to cry again.

"One t-tenth…" Lloyd muttered, slumping to the floor and curling up.

Insane. I was driving him insane.

Was I insane? Was I cursed, unable to tell right from wrong?

For once, I wasn't sure what to do. Thoughts were swirling, clashing with one another… A chaotic dance of self-hate and fear.

Lloyd's sobs suddenly became loud, and he scrambled into a corner. His eyes were locked on me, nothing but fear in his eyes.

Something _wasn't right_.

"Lloyd?" I hesitantly asked, and he tried to fit into the corner tighter.

"E-evil. Y-you h-have to b-b-be evil!" Lloyd sobbed, sadness pooling into the plain black eyes.

Before I could even make a response, he shot out of the room like a bullet, door hitting the wall harshly.

The bang from the door hurt my ears, and I jumped slightly in shock and surprise.

What just happened?

Is this my own personal torture?

Looking down at my cast again, I felt alone. The mailman wasn't working, I had no electronics, and Lloyd proclaimed me as evil.

I was shocked, unable to think of anything to say.

Heck, it was hard to _think_.

Blinking, I sat there unsure of myself and my decisions. I was an idiot, I signed up for something I couldn't handle. I was a young and naïeve child when I had started to observe the Ninja, but it seems that it has backfired on me.

Season three still wasn't ever yet, and I had already messed everything up.

"The strings of fate are falling apart, and I'm the one cutting them." I sighed, before sliding back down into the bed. This… This was too much for me right now. I needed some sleep.

* * *

When I awoke again, I found Garadon in the room. He looked pretty pissed, if his glare towards me was anything to go by. I only responded with a tired stare, exhausted from all the stress.

"I have met many manipulative people in my time. I have seen that darkest corners known and unknown to Ninjago. And yet you managed to be the one who broke my son!" He raged, slamming his staff against the ground harshly. I flinched, the noise scaring me slightly.

"He thought he could handle it, you know. I told him that he couldn't, that none of you could. And yet I still gave it to him to prove my point. Lloyd believes that my troubles are able to be handled, but no one in Ninjago has the power to. You are all too innocent… Even you. Forging a signature on a love letter is the least of anyone's problems on Earth. Should I enlighten you about the poor working conditions of the Industrial Age? Should I tell you that people started going insane thanks to lead poisoning? Should I tell you about the Middle Ages, where people began to perfect torture? Do you-"

"Stop! You are naught but a child!"

"Hah! Less than a generation ago I would have been old enough to work in a factory at ten!"

"Would your family and friends be proud of such behavior?"

That's the one that truly set me off.

"They may be dead Garmadon! My family is beyond a wall none can touch! Heck, even I am not proud of what I do! But I don't have a choice anymore! If I leave, you all will forget something or do something off and then there will be no one to do damage control! If I had never done this in the first place, maybe you all would be fine, but I cannot go back! To me, everyone is dead and I now represent the good and the bad of humanity! I am the ambassador of a _dead world_! If you think you've seen dark corners of the world, try looking down an alley and be afraid that you may die on the spot for a little bit of money!" I screeched, leaning back down onto the pillow and panting from exhaustion.

"My father is gone too, you know." Garmadon sighed, turning away from me.

"My home is gone. My friends, family, teachers, even the annoying kid down the block is gone. My _literal body_ is gone too, stuffed into this one. I have had everything but my knowledge taken away from me, and even now as I grow older I forget things. I am the end of Earth, it's dying breath on the wind.

"Tell me Garmadon, what have you lost compared to a planet, a universe filled with infinite possibilities, the idea of going beyond our own solar system. Tell me, have you lost entire cultures and ideas? Have you lost billions of people all at once, unable to even see their bodies or have a funeral? Religions, history, ideas, science is all lost, while I only hold a fraction of Earth with me. Languages I never knew, lost to time. Tell me that you have lost more, tell me that I am only a _child_ and that I have never faced loss! Tell all of that to me when you cannot even stand the idea of blood or violence." I sneered, and Garmadon shook slightly.

"Who takes care of you?"

"None of your business."

"You have torn my son's friends apart! You have broken my son! Even though you may have lost a lot, that only adds to the idea that you need to be sent home!"

"And what? If you died that day on the mountain, you would have never been able to fulfill your role in the future! Everyone _needs_ you alive, otherwise the cursed would never come back and banish the imposters! I am the backup plan of everything!" I spat, hoping the old man would go away.

"There is _more_ coming?" Garmadon shouted, turning to face me.

"Of course there is! What? Did you think that your world would just be peaceful forever? World peace is practically impossible!" I harshly replied, crossing my arms.

"Worl-" He was cut off by the hotel phone which automatically pulled up a hologram of Nya.

"You've got to come back to the tower quick, Kai's been captured!" She panicked through the phone before the hologram disappeared.

"Heh, better hope they get there in time. I'd hate for them to miss their flight. You had better _get going_." I angrily spoke, giving Garmadon a harsh glare.

He returned a glare just as strong, before swiftly walking out of the room.

I gave out a long sigh, sinking into the mattress.

There wasn't much time until Zane would face the Overlord, and somehow I would have to watch them with this stupid cast. I even _told_ myself I wouldn't get injured like this again!

First of all, I _needed_ to get to the Fortress of Solitude. It had the shield, so I wouldn't get killed by Napoleon with his god-powers. If didn't make it, I was certain that Pythor would be looking for revenge. Maybe he wouldn't kill me but I wasn't counting on that.

Secondly, I needed to learn how t move around with this stupid cast. If me being sore and had to be carried around was bad, now I needed crutches! A surge of determination passed through me, making me realize that waiting to get to the fortress was a bad idea. I needed to be there as soon as possible with my injury!

Inching out of the bed, I managed to hop down, but my leg spiked in pain. I hissed, clutching the cast harshly. It only made the pain worse, and I fell on the floor, yelping as I fell.

"Stupid Kai!" I screeched, reaching for my pack. I clutched it tightly, using it to push me up on one leg. Pulling it up, I hauled on top of my back, making it a challenge to stand on one foot. Already starting to get tired, I hobbled to the door, walking into the hallway. I found an elevator, my one leg becoming exhausted from the stress.

I hopped into the elevator, heading down to the main floor. I grabbed desperately onto the rail, using my arms to hold me up.

" _What makes you think you'll make it? Chances are you might get hit by a car instead!_ " A voice laughed, and I brushed it off, tuning the noise out.

I couldn't die now.

Hopping out of the elevator, I was given some strange looks from people in the lobby, but I was left alone.

Good choices on their parts.

I hobbled out the front doors, searching for the temple. Then I realized there was probably a brochure with a map inside the hotel.

Groaning, I hobbled back inside and found a brochure. With my leg becoming weaker every step, grabbing this stupid map was an annoyance. I didn't want to have a repeat of this later, so I grabbed a small atlas of Ninjago. Getting lost was not on my list, and I had only gotten around before by following signs, or hitchhiking.

Going back outside, I opened the map and looked for the fortress. Unfortunately, it was about a mile and a half away.

"Come on!" I hissed, closing the map and heading in the direction of the fortress. The voices returned, but I paid no attention as I focused on limping to the fortress.

Yet, it still pained me to know I had been scarred by Kai, and that Zane was the one to defend me.

Why did it have to come to this?

Right. It was because I was willing to defend my knowledge at the cost of death. Funnily enough, it nearly felt like it came to that, and I had managed to keep quiet.

Still limping, I noticed the strange looks I was getting. People looked disturbed by my struggle, and I sighed. I was at least glad that despite my hood being black, they left me alone.

"Flip!" I screeched as I tripped over an innocent child's toy, landing on my cast.

Pain shot through my leg, throbbing and sharp. I hissed, holding it as the pain continued to spike. One guy came up to me, offering a ride on his bike carriage. I immediately accepted, glad that I was able to get there faster.

Hopping in, the man gently smiled and got on his bike.

"So, what's your name?" He kindly asked.

"Starlord. What's yours?" I politely responded, and the man shrugged.

"I'm Donard. It's strange to see the mysterious Starlord injured on the streets." Donard commented.

"Well, it's a bit of a long story. Let's just say that I'm not exactly a good person." I brushed away the intended question.

"You are a mystery to those of us in Ninjago, stories told by you are held high and there is even a team searching to find your identity." Donard pointed out, and I paled slightly.

A team was working to find my identity? If they were experts, they could find my patterns and plans for the future!

"I'm guessing they're not experts?" I asked, hoping that they weren't.

"No, just a couple of people who like to make conspiracies. Nothing has ever been found out about you." Donard said.

"If that's the case, then it seems like I'm in the clear. It's going to take a lot more than a couple of people in a basement to figure out who I am." I sighed, relieved. We rode a bit further, before I broke the ice again.

"Since you said my stories were held in high regard, would you like a story as payment or cash for kindly biking me to my destination?" I offhandedly asked, wondering what Donard would want.

"A story if you will, as I find them more interesting than the lure of money." Donard chose, and I nodded, despite him being unable to see me.

"Many years ago there were three kids who wanted to build rockets. However, they lived in a coal mining town..." I started, remembering the movie October Sky as best as I could.

As I finished my tale, we arrived at the fortress.

"Thank you for sharing your tales, they bring great interest to the public. After all, it seems your genres of tales have never been written.

Hah! Imagine if I were able to recall the tales of Shakespeare and write them down in old English, good luck to them for enjoying the books!

"Yes, well, thank you for the compliment. Thank you for biking me here, Donard. Farewell." I curtly replied, hopping up to the Fortress of Solitude as he biked away. Then I realized that these doors were _huge_ , and I had practically no hope of opening _one_!

Deciding to try anyway, I grabbed onto the brass handle and pulled with all of my small bodyweight. Thank goodness that they didn't make the door handle too tall for short minifigures!

Slowly, inch by inch, the door moved to my wishes. It creaked loudly, and I swear I heard a few cracks, but it _moved_! As soon as I was able to squeeze through the door, I rushed inside, panting from the effort.

Crawling up against a nearby wall, I fell asleep.

* * *

"Starlord!" I heard a familiar voice shout. I groggily opened my eyes, only to see the face of Lloyd Garmadon.

"Weren't you supposed to be in space?" I tiredly asked, barely able to get the question out.

"The others are in space, I didn't make it in time." He sadly replied, and son my body became wide awake.

"WHAT! I FELL ASLEEP FOR A FEW HOURS AND _THIS_ HAPPENS?" I screamed, slamming my fist against the ground. Lloyd flinched back, taking a good three steps away from me.

"Are you okay?" He reluctantly questioned, and I glared up.

"No I'm not! You're supposed to be up there with them! You're supposed to connect the build-your-own-rocket-kit and elemental shields! How are they supposed to get off of Arcturus if they can't connect the dots?" I screeched, panicking as I climbed onto my one good foot.

"Wait, you're injured! Stop!" Lloyd urged as he put his hands on my shoulders, trying to push me down gently.

"Do you have communications set up?" I demanded, and Lloyd nodded.

"Then let me talk to the Ninja, or they're never going to get off that chunk of rock!" I hissed, and Lloyd shook his head.

"I can't do that, you might stress them even more and cause them to be found!" Lloyd replied.

"Fine! Then you tell them that the scrap metal can be used to build a new rocket and their elemental shields will help them when they reach the atmosphere. Got it?" I informed, and Lloyd hesitantly nodded.

"You owe me one." He sighed, letting go of me and heading into a smaller room in the fortress.

Sighing, I curled back up on the floor, clutching my cast in stress.

It would be a lot harder to place little huts all over Ninjago if I had this stupid thing on. Along with trying to master all sorts of environments.

Challenge accepted I guess, as long as I can survive Zane's sacrifice.

Lloyd walked back in, sitting down across from me. Yet, I could still see his hand hovering over a small dagger painted on his outfit.

I didn't know what to say. What could I say to someone who I had broken so badly?

"Why do your people fight?" Lloyd whispered, and I looked at him.

Humans fought for the sake of their ideas, whatever their ruler asked of them.

"People fought because they thought it was right, or if their commander told them to. Maybe someone of authority had gotten killed, or perhaps a petty squabble. I cannot tell you everything that people fight for, Sometimes, people don't want to fight but they're forced to anyways. People are not inherently good, nor bad. Sometimes it just happens, but fighting is inevitable, despite our efforts to stop it." I answered, and Lloyd looked down in sadness.

"To kill so many… How do you even live with that on your history's past?" Lloyd sobbed, and I sighed.

"I don't know. We're just desensitized to it I suppose. We hear every day how someone is starving, or people die, or that someone is planning to make bigger weapons. It's just a part of our lives, unlike your world. It's so perfect here, and I always feel horrible for even _existing_ here. I'd swear it's almost a crime for me to even be in anyone's presence here in this innocent land." I admitted.

"I thought you would've changed. After two _years_ of living with you, I thought that maybe you had finally become a good guy. Maybe you'd be fighting for us. But I was _wrong_. You just keep helping the enemy. I can't stop you from doing whatever you want, but I can promise you that we aren't going to treat you with a welcome hug and a pat on the back." Lloyd warned, staring me straight in the eyes with a sense of disappointment.

"Well, I can't say I expected anything else." I sighed, looking down at my cast.

"I-I'm sorry about tha-" I cut his apology short.

"Don't apologize, it wasn't your fault. It was Kai's decision, and my own. Everyone has

choices Lloyd, I just… Somehow have a tendency to choose the bad decisions." I muttered.

"Why do you always seem to hate our attempts to connect to you, and then agree when we push you away?" Lloyd asked quietly, almost hesitant to ask.

I was hesitant to answer.

"Lloyd… I never expect you to treat me nicely. I don't want to treat myself nicely. I know I'm a horrible person for what I do, and I expect the golden rule to apply." I replied, scratching at my cast absentmindedly.

"You shouldn't hate yourself, Starlord." Lloyd firmly replied.

"Do you have any idea how many people of my world hated themselves? Do you know how many have succeeded where I have failed in my attempt? Self-hatred is not entirely normal, but it definitely happens much more than you think, Lloyd. I am lucky enough to exist in a world where no one is willing to kill." I snapped back, my mood darkening. Lloyd was silent for a moment, processing what I said.

"I hope one day that you can change, Starlord." He softly responded, walking away from me with soft click-clacks of his feet.

I pulled out my personal journal, wishing to look back at what I used to be.

 _Being with Lloyd and Vastu is amazing, I feel like I have a family! Of course, Lloyd knows nothing of my knowledge, and just doesn't understand like Vastu does. Lloyd is much more sensitive too, and it's like carrying a wine glass on my head. I make one wrong move and he shatters. I don't mean to be… Well, mean. I tell him the truth when asked, just nothing of the future. Luckily, he hasn't asked me about that._

 _I can tell the want to die is fading slightly, but I still have the want to protect my secret with my life. Honestly, I don't want it to escalate that far. I like being peaceful and having fun! It's just… I have no other choice. In a way I'm practically pledging myself to Ninjago and Earth at the same time, no matter how short my pledge to Ninjago may be._

 _It's scary knowing that maybe someday I will have to risk my life for everyone to be safe. Yet, no one will ever know what I'm hiding and how much it hurts. Hurting is normal right? Isn't this how you're supposed to feel when you do something bad?_

 _Stupid emotions…_

I closed the journal, looking down at the brown cover.

" _Fading huh? Isn't that quite the lie!_ " A voice whispered.

"It _was_ fading until _I_ had to make some important decisions." I hissed back, and the voice merely chuckled.

" _A master liar, even to yourself!_ " The voice lowly replied, fading away.

At least it wasn't here for long.

Then a flash of green raced out of the room nearby, scrambling to get out of the front doors.

"Looks like Napoleon took home the gold on that asteroid." I noted, standing up carefully.

Sensei Garmadon rushed out too, yelling for Lloyd to wait. I blinked dumbly as they both left, but I could only hope they would return.

If they didn't, well… I wasn't sure what would happen.

Limping on my one good foot, I hopped into the computer room where Misako and Nya were still present.

"I thought Lloyd had said he would keep you out of this room." Misako pointed out with a bit of surprise.

"I already knew what was in here, I just came in to make sure that the others are either on their way, or know what to do." I spoke, briefly looking at all of the machinery. There were no cameras with the Ninja, so I would have to ask.

Dang it.

"Nya, have the Ninja managed to find a way off the asteroid? I know their ship crashed thanks to the metal eating bugs." I questioned, and she gave me a look of suspicion.

"No… Do you have a better idea?" She lowly snapped back, and I smiled underneath my hood.

"I guess Lloyd didn't send the message, or they didn't get it. Simply put, their scrap pile of metal can be used to get off the asteroid, while each of their elements and expertise help them build the machine. It can run off of Zane's power source, and once they start burning up in the atmosphere, they can use their elemental shields to safely land. Got it? Good." I quickly responded, a little proud I had outwitted her a little.

"Since when were you the one coming up with escape plans?" Cole spoke through the speaker, and I froze.

Nya had her hand on the talk button, and I had not noticed.

"If you're going to stay here, might as well talk." Nya smirked and I growled, limping over to do so.

"I've been thinking of many different scenarios about this long before you did. It just seems like you needed a push, which should not have been necessary." I calmly replied, trying to stop the bubbling panic in my chest from showing.

The panic was like a million tons of explosives booming inside of me, and yet I was barely able to hide it.

"Well, she's at least got a point with the idea. If we can make a miniature rocket with what's left of the old one, we can get off this piece of rock!" Jay exclaimed.

"And by my calculations, it should work with a small margin!" Zane put in his own two cents.

"If Zane says it'll be alright, I trust him." Kai simply spoke, not wanting to respond to me.

"I'm glad. Now build it and get back here before Lloyd and his dad do something we'll regret." I asserted the group, and started to leave.

"Now wait just a minute. I didn't ask you to just say two things, I want you all to talk this out. I know you've done some pretty nasty stuff, but I believe in you, and I want you to make an effort to change!" Nya ordered. I huffed, but limped back over nonetheless. I had no quarrels with her, and if what she said was true… Maybe I still had a chance to stick around.

"Fine. I'll make small talk." I hesitantly agreed, trying to think of something to say. Then I thought of it.

"You're the first people that I know of to be on an asteroid. We've only been to the moon and back. Otherwise, robots explore the things in space we cannot." I started.

"Wait, so you guys have never been onto an asteroid before?" Kai repeated.

"Only a robot has. We don't have anything that would move fast enough to get us there quickly, or big and strong enough to carry enough supplies. How you managed to make it so far up there is beyond me. Physics isn't supposed to allow that kind of stuff." I shrugged.

"Physics is a very complicated subject, I fail to see how you would know about it." Zane noted. I laughed.

"You have no idea how much I used to love science! I knew that there was an inner and outer core to Earth four years before I was taught it properly in fifth grade! I even knew about the magnetic field protecting everyone from deadly radiation from the sun long before any teacher mentioned it! I loved watching educational science shows about meteorology, astronomy, and geology when I was younger. I knew a lot for a kid." I reminisced.

"Is that what you would do in your spare time?" Cole asked.

"Yeah. I loved technology and science much more than your average girl. I practically absorbed it whenever I researched it. You should've seen how excited I got when I heard about a new technology." I became a little happier, thinking about how much I would squeal when I heard of a new major scientific breakthrough.

"So what _was_ your new technology?" Jay wondered, and I hummed in thought.

"Well, we were working on Stem Cell research, which basically is a cell that can change into anything it needs to be. We also researched Crispr, which made genetic modification cheap and easy. AI left a lot to be desired, but we were working on that too. There was a whole lot I wished I would get to see. I loved physics and science, heck I even remember a video that was created using mere atoms! Like, maybe one hundred atoms at most. Haha, I miss that." I explained, becoming a bit more down at the end.

"Genetic modification? On people?" Kai worriedly squeaked. I cringed back in almost _offense_ from that statement.

"No! We never went that far. Maybe someday, to fix genetic diseases, but the most complicated things we did genetic modification on were plants! We're not crazy to jump for results by skipping testing!" I practically shrieked, it felt like an insult. Didn't know specifically why, but it felt wrong.

"Okay, he hit a nerve, got it. What else did you like to do?" Cole butted in, trying to calm me down.

"I didn't do much in my free time. Honestly I usually just watched TV or read books. Of course, I could go a little crazy from time to time and scream memes at my friends, but otherwise? Everything was a routine. Wake up, eat, get ready, school, lunch and scream, school, go home, do homework, sleep. I did have vacations, and those were amazing, but I viewed life as a routine to follow. School grades determined my worth, and I was able to change into almost anything people may have wanted. Still, I had a better outlook on life than most." I admitted, and no one responded for a while.

"Your dimension doesn't sound nice, if that's the kind of view you had." Jay muttered.

"There was good and bad." I replied, not wanting to talk about it. We continued to chat, until Lloyd and his dad burst in, both breathing heavily.

"The Overlord is taking over the city!" Lloyd huffed out worriedly, tired alongside his old father. I looked at him sharply, before turning to the microphone.

"Get off that asteroid, now! The people of Ninjago need you down here, and we cannot afford any of you not being here!" I ordered, and the Ninja only gave a short 'copy,' before they began hurriedly getting into their crudely made spaceship.

Nya and Misako scrambled to get systems working, as the Ninja had stopped broadcasting. Lloyd and his dad rushed in, still out of breath. I struggled to find something to do in the chaos, so I opted to watch like I used to.

It had been a long time since I could watch them and they wouldn't notice.

Lloyd and his dad began to drag out armor, while Nya was desperately trying to find their ship and coordinates. Misako was attempting to find where they would approximately land, ignoring the plan I had given to the Ninja earlier.

They were all panicking, while I maintained my cool.

I had to, I had to look like I didn't care.

Because the moment I did, the pain of Zane's sacrifice would cut that much deeper.

Limping over to the door, not wanting to be around the chaos. Of course, there was nothing but frantic screams and fear outside. I'd rather deal with the noises forcing their way in than the people making noise inside.

I breathed out a sigh of relief as no one came out after me.

A crash and the sound of hurried footsteps proved me quite wrong as _everyone_ burst out of the room and outside, getting into vehicles and driving away in a panic. I blinked in confusion and surprise, before shaking my head to clear my mind.

I went to the open door to close it when I saw Borg tiredly rolling his way up to the stairs. I walked down to help him, as he I planned him to be here anyway. Still, memories were fading over the years, and the little details slipped my mind occasionally.

Nodding in greeting, I stepped behind him, hesitating to help. I felt I was pushing a limit, so I stopped my actions, and knew I needed to ask permission first.

"Would you allow me to help you up the stairs?" I asked awkwardly.

"Any help would be appreciated, I don't think that a plain wheelchair is able to get up those stairs!" He tried to make light of the situation. I took it as consent, putting my hands on the wheelchair handles and pushing him up the stairs carefully. Still, I felt strange pushing him up the stairs.

It took me a moment to realize why. It was an act of trust, letting me guide him where he could not move himself. Once I pushed him to the top, I let go quickly, pulling my hands to my chest in unease. Such blind trust was never present in normal people, or at least the people I knew.

"Are you alright? You seem distressed." Borg noted, turning to face me.

"I… I don't know if you understand what that felt like to me." I whispered, still rubbing my hands together in a sort of unnecessary guilt.

"I'm afraid I might not be getting the same message as you may be intending." Borg replied.

"You trusted me enough to guide you where could not on your own. It is a sign of complete trust in me, yet I do not do enough 'good' to seem worthy of it. Such a jump in trust… Is not something I am used to. Please, understand me and my past first before you jump ahead so far." I hesitantly answered, and Borg silently nodded, not pressing the issue any further.

Entering the fortress in silence, Borg wheeled himself into the room where the others had abandoned their electronics. I limped to the other side of the fortress, still holding my hands close to my chest.

I did not like the sudden action of trust. It was not normal for me.

Trying to distract myself, I was at least glad that cartoon logic kicked in and now let me limp without much pain. The soreness once present in my legs was no more, and I was able to hop around well.

Thank you cartoon logic!

The fact that I would be able to move around, despite it being a bit of a limp, was relieving. How it worked, I would never know, and I was not inclined to look a gift horse in the mouth.

Then Wu and Garmadon rushed into the building, holding open the door for the Ninja, and the Overlord doing spinjitzu behind them. It was a show of power, wanting to slowly trap them within the golden strands.

Yet, they were almost sloppier than I remembered. As if something was making it falter, an anomaly it could not overcome. I felt responsible and limped back slightly. Yes, time was falling apart now. There was no stopping it. No matter what I do now, the timeline will forever be changed.

And it was my fault.

" _Of course it's your fault. No one new had entered the equation until you came along! Worthless you are!_ " A voice hissed, but I did not disagree with it. I ignored it, just like I ignored everything else.

I did not realize that time had passed until I saw Lloyd in front of me, still holding the armor. He hadn't put it on?

"If I put this armor on, that means you must promise to tell us how you knew to make that plan. No vague things, no lies, nothing but the cold hard truth." He demanded, but I could still see his slight shaking.

"I am not obligated to do so." I replied in a daze, not paying full attention.

"Then I will break this and you'll never know if I come out okay!" Lloyd shouted in a sad and angry rush, lifting the armor to smash it.

"NO!" I screamed grabbing at his arm with all my strength.

"Then promise me!" He demanded, and I fell down to my knees, the cast aching a little.

"You know I can't! I can't I can't I can't! I'll break myself if I do!" I screeched, and everyone was staring at us. Yet, no one made a move to separate us, not even Garmadon did.

"It can't possibly be worse than losing me can it?" Lloyd quietly asked, and I screamed louder.

"IF I SAY IT, I _WILL_ LOSE YOU! I'LL LOSE EVERYONE IN THIS ROOM, AND NINJAGO WILL DIE!" I shrieked with all of my might, tears starting to be absorbed into my hood.

"I'm going to die. I knew it. They knew it. I'll fight 'till I die but they know I'm going to die and I'll never be able to get away." I sobbed, curling up at Lloyd's feet.

"If you won't let me smash it, and you won't promise, then you take it." He coldly dropped the armor, leaving it and rushing outside.

"You don't understand! You'll get hurt and maybe even _die_ without the armor! STOP LLOYD!" I begged, crying for him to come back and put the armor on. I turned around fast enough to nearly fall, and I hopped right up to Kai, pulling him by the collar to my height.

"Help him!"

"Wha-"

"HELP HIM, HE LOOKS UP TO YOU HELP HIM _PLEASE I CAN'T HAVE HIM DIE_!" I demanded, and he looked at the others in panic.

"WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR? HELP HIM, PROTECT HIM!" I ordered, limping away after Lloyd. Then the others rushed out, Kai picking up the armor for Lloyd, while I was left behind due to my injured leg.

Still, I pushed through to get to the battle. There were Nindroids everywhere, but they paid no mind. To them I was injured, practically already filled with enough fear in their eyes.

And really, I was filled with fear, because now was the moment I had been dreading for so long. It was time for Zane to make the ultimate sacrifice, his death to protect everyone on Ninjago.

But Lloyd's time was not here yet, and I could not allow him to die.

I wandered into the battle, right when Wu hit the shrinking pill towards the Overlord. Pythor took the blow, loyal to the Overlord and his plans. The Overlord was practically god now. Even that pill likely wouldn't have done anything.

"Is that _it_? _Is that ALL YOU'VE GOT_?" The Overlord taunted, picking up everyone by golden web strings.

Lloyd still didn't have the armor on.

Lloyd still didn't have the armor on.

 _Lloyd still didn't have the armor on!_

"You! You meddling child! No matter how you may be immune to Dark Matter, I will crush you slowly and painfully!"

Zane wasn't free either.

 _OH GOD I'VE RUINED EVERYTHING._

 _LLOYD WAS GOING TO DIE._

 _EVERYONE WAS GOING TO DIE AND IT WAS ALL MY FAULT!_

In a last attempt of defiance, I bit at the web string slowly squeezing me to death. Somehow, I managed to bite some of the energy out, and I continued to bite, my hood being a major nuisance.

Then as soon as I cut the joint between the coil around me and what held me up, I began to fall towards the ground. I vaguely heard screams that weren't my own, but I paid more attention to trying to _survive_ and _get Zane free_.

Freeing myself of the bonds, I grabbed onto a lower string, and it bounced me back upwards, with me still screaming and dizzier than a merry-go-round.

I grabbed onto a string below the Ninja, and I was desperately trying to hold on and not die while being swatted at by golden strings.

Left, dodge.

Right, duck.

Under, jump and climb up.

I repeated this until I managed to get to Zane, eating away at the golden web. I felt a strange tingle, and my cast became even number.

Everything started to become numb.

Still, I ate at the thick strand and hoped this would work. As soon as I bit through, Lloyd started screaming, his screams as if someone were taking his breath away.

I turned to look at him, and the sight scared me more than the Overlord being god. Lloyd was slowly being crushed, and I whispered something to Zane.

"Don't forget who you are. Do not be afraid, I know you'll come back." I softly spoke, before diving after Lloyd, but the Overlord was not going to let him go so easily.

"I will not let the one _thing_ that has thwarted my ancient plans escape my grasp again!" The Overlord screeched, tearing Lloyd away from me, and sending double the webs my way.

I screamed in defiance, tearing off my cast and exposing my numb leg and scar. It looked ugly against my yellow skin, a dark brown color as it pulsed and throbbed, but I felt nothing. I straight up pool dived towards Lloyd, grabbing onto the golden strand with all of my upper body strength. I bit into it quickly, biting and spitting to avoid wasting time swallowing the flavorless gold.

I could feel the strand I was eating away at was tightening, coiling around Lloyd even harder the longer I couldn't bite through. Lloyd had stopped screaming, barely able to get air at all. With one last soft jello-like squish, I had eaten through the entire web. We fell onto another string, climbing and holding onto it for dear life.

And Zane made his final decision. Jumping towards the Overlord with his friends support, Zane grabbed onto the golden armor surrounding the dark presence. Zane glowed bright blue, but he was not clear like his true potential was. It was an icy blue that radiated from him, but only an external energy rather than energy from the heart.

"Let.. My friends… Go!" Zane demanded, struggling to talk through the energy spiking through him. The golden weapons were not meant to be taken all at once, and it was too much even for Zane the nindroid.

The web strand beneath me and Lloyd turned green, and I swung on the string with strength I didn't know I had. Somehow I was able to hold Lloyd up too, as he was still out of breath and making sure that there were no serious injuries.

Landing near the small cluster of Ninja who had also been freed, I held Lloyd up like he once did for me, though the height difference was a bit of an obstacle. I vaguely heard 'your survival chance is zero' behind me, but the icestorm being created by Zane blocked out most of the sound between the two.

"Wait… He's not letting go of him!" Kai pointed out, and my heart sank to the Earth.

"Let go of him Zane!" Jay screeched with all of his might.

"It's not worth it!" Cole shouted, but to no avail.

"What is he doing?" Kai loudly asked.

"He's protecting us from the Overlord! We have to get underground!" I replied, the sound of the icestorm whistling loudly in my ears. Dragging Lloyd away from the sight of his friend's death, I managed to put him on my back and one footed-ly hop down the sewer ladder. The other eventually followed, but none of them willingly.

They hid underneath the hubcap of the sewer, all of them worried beyond belief. How could I blame them? Their friend was dying right before their eyes, and they couldn't do anything to stop him.

"He isn't going to be okay, is he?" Cole whispered, more to himself than anything. I didn't plan on answering him.

"Zane will be rebuilt." I replied, but I didn't want to. It was as if I was forced to reply to the question, no matter who spoke.

"What did you say?" Cole looked down at me, and I flinched back. I felt my mouth move open against my will, and I slammed my mouth onto the ladder bar. The answer was muffled, which I was glad for, but Cole gave me a weird look. Then the hubcap froze over, and a slight gasp escaped everyone, including me. It was a sign that it was over.

That Zane's first life was over.

Kai put fire to the cover, heating up the ice around it before pushing it off. We climbed up, and Lloyd finally was able to walk on his own. However, he still shook as he walked on the ice. I looked at the ice-covered city, and put my head down.

I watched as Kai was the one to pick up Zane's last remnant the half of his face that had fallen off during the storm. I dared not speak, for fear of breaking the shocked silence. Nya began to cry alongside P.I.X.A.L., both grieving over the sudden loss of Zane.

I took a step back, before walking silently away. I knew that the silence would break soon, and maybe a few of my bones if I stayed. Then I heard the violent whisper of Kai as he stood behind me, his shadow falling in front of me.

"Did you know about this?" Kai demanded quietly, and I put a hand to my mouth in an attempt to muffle my words.

Kai snapped, this time with fury unmatched. The loss of such an important piece of his life, was a pain he could only take out in the one way he knew how.

My pack slammed against the ground as he tackled me down with all of his sadness and anger at me.

"Tell me! Did you know about this?" He screeched, holding my hands away so that I could not block the answer. Even my hood refused to stop me, no matter how much I hoped it would.

"Yes."

A cry of loss escaped his lips, as he punched me with a fire-covered hand on my mask, and I could _feel_ it on fire. I struggled with all of my might, trying to put out the fire before it would scar my face.

"KAI!" Lloyd tackled my attacker, and I pressed my mask against the ice harshly, hearing the frozen water sizzle under the heat. Scrambling to my feet, Kai screamed out at me again.

"How could you possibly even _know_?" He sobbed as Lloyd held _him_ down. The answer came out again, but this time I had a hand to muffle it. The urge to always answer was fading slightly, but I felt it would persist likely for the next five to ten minutes. That was still too long! I was still vulnerable to whatever the golden power had done to me.

Cole walked up to me as I tried to back away, and he managed to corner me between two ice spires. I struggled to look for _some_ way out, I would easily be defeated by his strength! I slammed my desperate fists against the ice, but they stood against me. A testament to Zane's strength, but turned against me.

"What color is snow?" Cole asked, and I looked at him in fearful confusion.

"Snow is merely ice crystals, they are clear but are reflective and bounce off the sun's rays, but they can also act like prisms." I replied, unable to stop and not wanting to out of confusion.

"You can't lie can you? Tell me a lie!" Cole pointed out, and now I realized why the answers were being pushed out of me.

"I am unsure if I can lie. Your gi is…. Is… Blu-ack!" The truth came out with force, refusing to let me lie.

Cole's calm demeanor snapped, the loss putting him over the edge too, and Lloyd wailed in self-hate and fear as he held Kai down. He had to watch me get pushed against the wall behind me, and with no way to defend the answer from coming out. I cried, knowing this might be the end.

I'd have to die now, or I'd tell and then kill myself. There was no other way now.

Cole opened his mouth to speak the dreaded question. I slammed my head against his, and he reeled back slightly, just enough for me to get one of my hands out.

My stabbing hand.

I reached for my pen desperately, knowing if I tried to hit him he'd catch me before I hit him. He was a Ninja after all, reflexes and strength included.

So I aimed for the least expected place.

My own heart.

Pain shot through me, and I screamed as I hit between the ridges of my ribs. I don't think I hit the heart, but I hit my lung and I easily punctured it. Blood flew inside, replacing the precious air I screamed away.

Cole dropped me and the world faded away painfully, only seeing a black and green blob.

* * *

 **Yeah, I think that suicide is going to be a common theme with Myrana at this point. And for this season, I think I'm getting a bit better at 'show don't tell.' I've been more experimental with dialogue, no longer adding 'Name said this' after every line. Still, I hope to improve the more I write, and I hope you liked this super chapter!**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HAVE A GREAT CHRISTMAS OR PREFERRED HOLIDAY! :D**


	8. Chapter 8

**Hi. I'm about two episodes in season four. Yay! Just a random update so... Enjoy I guess.**

* * *

When I woke up, I realized my chest felt tight. A black and green blob were sitting at the end of my… Hospital bed? My vision cleared, and I saw it was Lloyd and Cole, both of them silently sobbing at the end of my bed.

Vaguely I heard the voices whine that I didn't die, but I ignored them, my main focus was on the two Ninja in front of me. I also realized, I had a complimentary mask, likely one made by the hospital.

Then I felt the large tube going down my throat, and I panicked a little. Why was there a tube in my chest! I felt my throat tighten around it, and I realized doing that might upset any sort of balance between me and machinery. I forced myself to relax, and all I could do was stare at the oblivious but crying Ninja.

Looking for a way to get their attention, I tried to move one of my feet. I lifted it an inch before settling t back down when I felt my chest tighten and burn. Luckily the sound was enough to get them out of their crying situation, and they both scrambled for a doctor.

Satisfied with the idea that I'd finally get to see a professional, or at least as close to one I could get, I let my eyelids close a little in forced relaxation. When the doctor came in, there was a wide smile on his face.

"Welcome back, Starlord. You've just survived the most complicated operation in Ninjago." The doctor happily spoke to me, and I raised my eyebrows in shock. I had just undergone the most complicated operation in Ninjago? They must not have operations like this often! Next time I might not get to such an advanced hospital.

Tapping my hand against the bed, I hoped that they got the message to get me something to type on. The doctor was a bit confused, not able to tell what I wanted.

"Are you in pain?" He asked, and I tapped twice.

"I think she means no. We should get her something to type on." Lloyd suggested, trying very hard to make sure his voice didn't shake. I tapped once to show he was correct.

"Very well." The doctor replied, still wearing a hint of a grin. He walked outside, and once the door closed, I heard the screams of many doctors cheering in success. It scared me and made me jump a little, but I told myself to stay under control so that I wouldn't hurt myself anymore.

"I'm so sorry! I wouldn't have done that if I knew you would've done that! I'm so sorry!" Cole blubbered, sobbing out his apologies. I had to watch him sob out his heart in despair, with no way to tell him that it wasn't his fault. I already had the idea of doing that planted in my head for a long time.

Lloyd let Cole cry, waiting to let out his concerns. It hurt to know I did this to people, but I had to. If I didn't stab myself, I would have told them everything. There would be nothing to stop me from telling the truth.

This was a secret willing to die for. At least without me, I would have never been used as a fortune teller. Dying was better than that.

The doctor walked back in, the smirk of pride still there. I was given a small keyboard wirelessly connected to a tablet. I didn't spend the time to type everything out well, I was too weak to care about my normal formalities.

 _thanks 4 operating on me_

 _and cole its not ur falt i already new taht i would have 2 do that if soemthing like that hapened_

 _lloyd i get that u think that im good bcuz i lived wi yeasr and ur upste thta i did that but i hsd 2 . its a big secrt._

I managed to type that out, and let my hand fall against the bed in exhaustion. I couldn't type much still, since my lung was punctured and oxygenation was limited. The doctor was the first to reply to me.

"It's merely our job. You're lucky these two decided to pay for the operation, it wasn't a cheap bill."

 _haha i no the feeling doc, medical caer was expensiv were i used 2 liv_

"Really? How much did it cost?" He asked and I thought for a moment. Comparing the prices of a wrench from my world and here, I made up a conversion. Their money was worth more, probably equivalent to the British pound.

 _mybe 7.5k a year 4 healthcare. actual pric of operations vary from at lest 1k to 70k, insurance doesnt cover all of it. its really xpensive_

The others gaped slightly, the doctor looking absolutely livid. I could tell he wanted to rant about the prices, but did not in order to appear professional.

 _also, if u make epipens, dont overprice them. theyre shots that pple can crry round with them to temporarily sotp deadly allergic reactions. they cost ony bout 70 bucks tgo mak one but they woudl cost 600 for 2. bad politcal and social aftersocks_

I wasn't sure why I wanted to disclose that, maybe just to warn them what would happen if they did that. The doctor looked even angrier, if that was even possible. Cole gaped further, and Lloyd shook his head in his hands.

"Y-your-r w-w-world and-d t-the stupid s-suff-fering." Lloyd muttered. I gave a humorless smile, or at least the best I could with the tube down my throat.

"Anyway, I will have to inform you that you will be on the tube for another week or two, then you must have six to seven weeks of bed rest before you can use your lungs to their full potential again. Your leg scar has also been taken care of, it will be all healed within the next two weeks." The livid doctor informed me, before whispering something to the others and stepping outside.

Cole sobbed again, not accepting my brushing off of his apologies.

"I s-still shouldn't have m-made you do that-t! Then I-I would have been r-responsible for l-losing t-two people!"

 _NOT UR FALT. i just scared and you sad. things hapen._

"Then i-it's m-my fault! I-I should have done m-more! I-" I typed furiously to stop him, not letting Lloyd blame himself.

 _NOT UR FALT LLOYD NOT UR FALT NOT UR FAL ! it me. everything my falt. my choce. stop balmin urself_

Still he blamed himself, blubbering how it was his fault. I only pointed to the screen, unwilling to type more. Cole sobbed too, and I was unable to pay attention to both of their saddened pleas at the same time. So I wrote a message for both of them.

 _go grieve. im not that important. do whatev u need to do. im fine now_

They both refused profusely, saying things about how they could have done more with me. How Zane's death was something they couldn't control. Well, they were partially right. Zane's death wasn't something they were supposed to control, then I noticed a bit of brown on Lloyd's neck. It was the remnants of the golden web strand crushing Lloyd.

 _u bettre go 2 the doc bout that briuse. im not ok wiht that on u._

"I'm f-fine." Lloyd denied, and Cole turned to face his comrade. He pulled down Lloyd's collar and saw the massive brown bruise.

"Holy- Lloyd! You too? Why is everyone keeping secrets!" Cole shouted, before slowly turning away. He walked towards the door before bolting out with nearly-shed tears. Lloyd just pushed his shirt collar back up, hiding it away from anyone nearby.

 _not so ez is it? keeping secerts wen u feel its impertant 4 no 1 2 no. get that bruise lookd at_

"No, I'm fine." He whispered again.

 _fine. i wont get on ur case. just leave me and grievee, and i wont bothr u._

"Alright, but I'll come back. To see you do that and nearly succeed… It hurts." He softly replied, leaving me alone in peace. My hand fell down to the bed quickly, tired from the use.

The voices became loud, being very vocal about their disappointment. I didn't care, I was too busy trying to relax.

" _You should have died!_ " A voice screeched, and I rolled my eyes. Of course I was supposed to, but that didn't work and so now I'm stuck like this.

" _Well, you can try again. All you have to do is pull out that air tube and you'll be home free._ " A voice replied, but this one unnerved me. It wasn't screeching like the others, it chose a different approach.

A much smarter and deadly one.

It almost felt warm and cozy, as if coaxing me to do it instead. Instead of demanding, it was merely suggesting. It's voice was almost like an old friend pushing you on to meet someone new, but it wanted me to meet Death.

" _I understand you don't want to now. That's okay, it's just easier to do it now._ " It kindly whispered, and I shuddered in fear. Screeching and demanding was something I could push away, thanks to my experience with the Ninja. But a voice like that? I wasn't going to do well.

I knew it latched onto my loneliness. I knew that it decided to be the one thing I couldn't fight. To try and ignore it would be much tougher, and so I shut my thoughts down. I didn't want to face it. Not now, not ever.

* * *

The week passed by slower than I wanted it to. I was just taken off the tube, and breathing never felt so nice! Of course the voice spoke to me and merely whispered about how it would be harder to hurt myself. My desperate mind that seeked comfort agreed with the voice, following it without question. The other parts of me had to pull with all of their might to keep my desperate side from following the hypnotizing voice.

No one had visited me within the week, but I heard I missed Zane's funeral. He did sacrifice himself for his world, a high honor. If I could have, I would have given him the American Medal of Honor. It would have at least given him some sort of recognition for his sacrifice, other than the statue that was left to the moss.

Alas, I did not remember what the medal looked like, nor did I recall how to make one. It was just another piece of home slipping away out of my hands, and I nearly cried at the realization that my memories were slipping. At this rate, the world may just become a fuzzy dream in the future.

In hopes of trying to preserve my memories, I went through a sweep of my mind. I recalled every memory I could, good and bad. Unfortunately, some of them had blurred and become barely recognizable. A lot of the memories were from my early childhood, the ones I knew would fade eventually but I no longer had photos to look back at. Then the doctor who I had come to know as Savarth walked in.

"A visitor is waiting outside for you. He says his name is Vastu." Savarth stated. I nearly hot out of the bed in surprise and began to babble loudly, most of my words demanding for me to see him.

"I'll get him for you." The doctor nodded, walking briskly through the hospital doors to get the man I hadn't seen in a long time. At least, it felt long. I'm sure it felt long for him too, with no way for me to to contact him. Tech was down and the mailman was too busy with the technological apocalypse. We didn't even come close to the village, so I was sadly left with the only option of not talking to him.

Then the very man I thought about nearly burst through the doors and came close to me, mumbling about how I had been brave and foolish. His hair was getting whiter, and he noticed my staring as I let him rant silently.

"You noticed my hair, huh? Well, with you running off and not being able to tell me what happened, I was quite stressed. When I got the mail from Lloyd… I rushed over here as fast as possible! Once again, I'm afraid I will have to put you under house arrest." Vastu sighed, and I flinched back.

"I-I had p-plans to go a-around Ninjago and-d get some s-small shelter-rs set up." I used my scratchy voice, strained from my earlier babbling. Vastu groaned, putting a hand to his face in frustration.

"I know you stayed because of Lloyd and I, and because you felt no need to leave. If I were to try and stop you, you'd just push harder." He explained, and I nodded.

"Y-yeah. I m-may care for y-you as a father-r, but I h-have a lot of work to do." I sadly smiled, and Vastu, just pat my head lovingly.

"Then you promise me one thing. You will stay with me for ten weeks, then I'll let you go. But you have to stay at the village during those ten weeks. I understand why you are so sad, but I will not allow you to go on your own out there in this condition! You will send me mail whenever you can, I cannot live well not knowing what is happening to you." Vastu revealed, and I sighed, knowing that he was being a fair man.

"I a-agree t-to your t-terms. It's o-only fair." I smiled, and the man sighed in relief, hugging me gently. I hugged back, just as relieved. With him knowing of my origins and understanding me, I felt much better. At least one person in this world understood, and he likely would be the only one for a while yet.

"Thank you, Myrana. You run this old man rugged with worry when you leave." He laughed softly, so quiet I could barely hear him.

"S-sorry 'bout-t that-t. Bad hab-bit." I smiled, and he just hugged me a little tighter, but not squeezing me due to his fear of hurting me.

He eventually left, and I was left alone again.

" _They mistakenly left a toothpick underneath your bed. If you want, you can go and get it._ " The voice had returned, and I shuddered in fear of it. It didn't even directly address using the tiny object to kill myself. I knew that I'd only be in the hospital for another day or two, making it much easier for the voice to point out things that could hurt me.

" _Take your time. I'm only here to support._ "

Yeah, support my death!

I huffed aloud, choosing to look over the room I had become very familiar with once more, and wait for my release.

* * *

Vastu was kind enough to take care of all the release paperwork, and wheeled me out of the hospital. I did not like being confined to the chair, but stayed in it anyways. Not like I could get places easily without it, my lungs were still under watch. The voice was oddly silent most of the time, only popping in occasionally and often caught me off guard.

Before I left, I was greeted with a team of many doctors, telling me it was amazing that I survived and that they were so glad they got to work on me. I brushed them off, smiling with them. The only thing I warned them about was to do some more research on puncture wounds. They could never know whether someone might accidentally hurt themselves like me.

"A busy bunch, aren't they?" Vastu sighed in relief, bringing me over to a small car.

"You have a car?" I blinked in surprise. People in Jamanakai liked to stay where they were, very unmoving.

"No, it's a rental. I paid for the extra 'pick up' service." Vastu shrugged, and I pouted.

"There was no reason to do that for me! I could have paid!" I argued, and Vastu shushed me.

"Yes you are worth the few extra Jyn. You are my good friend and a daughter in all but blood! A little stretch is nothing. Besides, my shop is now at a nice size and most of the village buys their products from me." Vastu assured, and I slumped back.

"If you say so, I know you don't like to see people down." I laughed, crawling into the car. I saw a flash of red near the hospital walls, and squinted at the spot. There were only two people who were red-based and would watch me. Kai, or Master Chen. Chen was stuck on his island, and was likely more secretive about his snooping. Automatically, my mind began sto think it was Kai, but I could do nothing about him. He was of no importance right now, and I knew he would go to the fight club.

Yes… I even remember Lloyd telling Kai that the juice he was drinking might be too sugary. It was a pretty obvious alcohol reference, but I'd keep that in the dark.

Pushing my future knowledge to the back of my mind and enjoying the sad peace, I began to chat with Vastu mindlessly. Of course it eventually got the the point where I had to explain what happened.

At the end… Vastu was a little disappointed in me. He could understand why, but he felt there was a better way.

Maybe there was, but it was too late to fix it now.

* * *

The weeks of healing went at a… Moderate pace. Some days were extremely slow, as I had to block out the smooth voice in my head. I had eventually gotten to the point where I had to name it, and so I named it Euphony. I deemed it needed only it's main trait as a name, as it never seemed to tell me its own.

Other days… I had fun with Vastu. He did some arts and crafts with me, and we enjoyed each other's presence. Of course I asked for books on survival, and I memorized the books I was given. Applying them to life was a completely different thing, and I had yet to practice them.

Yet, I stayed an extra week for Vastu, knowing that he would feel better if I didn't strain myself. Rahu only knew of my reputation, and stayed in the shop during my time of healing. I knew very little about him, and he knew little of me. I intended to keep it that way as I was headed off, already having set points for my shelters. I bought an extra suitcase in my spare time so that I could carry supplies from town to shelter.

So I headed out, my first station not far from Jamanakai, or Ignacia. In fact, it was about halfway between the two towns. In the forests nearby the pathway that connected the two, I was going to plant my small shelter. Hopefully those survival shelter chapters would come in handy.

The path I walked on was merely a dirt one, as Jamanakai and Ignacia were isolated. Only the city and some neighboring towns were enhanced with Borg's technology. While Vastu and I got a few computers and phones, we were careful not to buy too many. I warned him of the dangers up ahead if he did.

I was also happy for the isolation, I felt very comfortable with only a small circle of people to talk to. My choice of town may be advantageous to Chen, seeing as how he might have placed a few spies around tiny villages. Alas, he'd be gone anyways and then there would be nothing hanging over me.

Still, it was uncomfortable knowing that the old master would likely have an advantage over me. If he played his cards right, I would easily be subdued and I'd be put in a bad situation again.

For now, I was safe underneath the trees on this dirt path. My worries could wait, I had more important things to do.

* * *

A small shack. Not much, but it held some supplies. Non-perishables, water, and a small wooden bed I made. Nighttime had fallen upon the land, and I knew I would have to sleep in the small cabin for the night.

But first, I wanted to take a while to think on everything from Earth that I missed.

I missed family, friends, a lot of things. I already knew that.

I also missed the comfort of home, the little things that I would look at online and all of the detail in the little things. Because Ninjago was an animated world, everything was smooth and there was very little detail in the environment. Textures were very bland, even though they felt just like the real world equivalent.

Pine trees were very simple too, yet they still felt prickly as ever when I touched them. It was one of the small things that bugged me in this world. I can constantly touch, hear, and even _taste_ my home world, yet everything I see is not the same anymore. Too much of our worlds were similar.

There were more issues, but they were for another time. I didn't want to remember the look on people's faces when I could easily predict their entertainment, and they couldn't see the obvious signs. They just couldn't understand my basic knowledge of plots.

Curling up, I sighed sadly. I suppose it wasn't good to dwell on the past.

" _You can join them, you know. If you use your pen, you can hit yourself in the neck and join your family above._ " Euphony whispered.

"No, Euphony, I can't do that. Dying is _not_ on my list right now!" I hissed, hoping the voice would leave.

" _Of course. It's just an option if you feel like you cannot handle the burden of life._ " Euphony sighed.

"I need to _live_. I can't die, not yet! Even then, Vastu would bring me back to life to scold me for eternity, and that's something I wouldn't want to do." I laughed humorlessly.

" _If that is your preference, I will wait for you._ "

"I know. That's what I'm afraid of." I grumbled, looking at my wooden ceiling. I turned over and fell asleep once more.

* * *

Walking into Ignancia, I stepped into a small grocery store. Luckily, there was enough water and food for my next shelter. I also bought another tarp for the next shelter. However, when I stood before the cashier, I saw a book written in English.

"Sir, may I ask where you found that book?" I asked, traces of fear in my voice. The title read: _A Little Princess_

"Found it in the middle of the road, can't read it though. I'm thinking about calling in someone about it, it's weird." He replied, looking at the book with distaste for its existence.

"May I have it?" I nearly begged as he continued to scan through my massive amounts of water and food.

"Is it important to you?" The cashier spoke, raising a single eyebrow.

"Sort of. I know what it says, I'm just surprised that it's here." I mumbled back, unsure if that was the right answer.

"Read me the first page and the title, and explain a word to me and you can have it." The man challenged, and I took the book gingerly from the counter. It looked to be a more deluxe version, with a white ribbon bookmark on the side and metallic silver edged pages. It had a smooth leather-like cover that was pink. A blue silhouette of the girl I knew to be in the story was on the front, a lampost on the right with a metallic shine in the place of the candle.

I carefully brushed my hand on the cover, breathing in sharply. It was thin, a true untouched Earth object. I couldn't believe it! I piece of home was here! I almost didn't care about where it came from. Almost. But for now, I was going to read and treasure this small piece of home I had managed to find.

" _A Little Princess_ , by Frances Hodgson Burnett. 'Once on a dark winter's day, when the yellow fog hung so thick and heavy in the streets of London…'" I read, finishing when I reached the bottom of the page.

"Winter. W-i-n-t-e-r. W and I together in this sound like weh. N is soft here, sounding like en. T is tuh, while E and R are both soft sounding like er." I explained, and the man seemed impressed.

"Alright, keep it. Your total is eighty Jyn." The cashier shrugged, and I handed him the money. At this rate, I would be able to make twenty shelters. I had about three thousand Jyn on me, and I wanted to make sure that I would have spare money. Twenty shelters would likely be enough, as I wanted a lot, but not too many.

"Thank you sir." I spoke honestly, before leaving the store in a rush. I moved to the edge of the small village, seeing the Four Weapons shop again, not completely abandoned but worse for wear.

Perhaps it could be useful still.

Shuffling under the roof, I looked for some cleaning supplies. I only found a brush and dustpan, but I was satisfied with it nonetheless. Of course I would leave a note should Kai or Nya return, but for now it would be a new shelter. My super shelter, a place of hiding in plain sight.

Looking around the room, I saw two large waterproof tarp-like curtains that they used to close up shop. Seems like they forgot about it. Pushing the two closed and securing them, I turned on a light switch near a window. A central light for the room turned on, and I began the slow process of cleaning.

Ash was all around the fire pit used to heat up coals or some source of fire. I shrugged at its simplicity, and proceeded to clean the forge.

Soon it became a rhythm. Brush, brush, brush, brush, sweep into the dustpan, trash. Brush, brush, brush, brush, sweep into the dustpan, trash. But sometimes, I'd see the personality of the Kai I remembered from my younger years, a loyal and sometimes arrogant person. Still, he did his best to protect those he loved, no matter the cost.

Maybe that's why he hates me. I always seem to put his loved ones in danger. Nonetheless, I would do the same if I had a chance.

Seeing the forge as clean as I could make it, much shinier and still standing strong, I stared at it for a while.

"I remember the way you used to be. You would be the fire, the passion that flowed through him as he built his tools. Admittedly, you and I both knew that he would be too impatient to get it right, but eventually he was taught. I miss those days, and I bet you do too. There are a lot of things we miss." I spoke to the forge, even though I fully understood it could not talk back. Still, I could've sworn it dulled slightly in response.

Turning away, I continued to clean up the rest of the main room, not wanting to go into the other bedrooms. I respected Kai and Nya's privacy, and refused to tamper with their past rooms. After all, I was treated the with at least the same respect.

Once it felt decently clean, I put my food and water in two cabinets, leaving a small F and W in the corner of the cabinet doors. I grumbled, realizing that if I wanted this to be my main base, I would need more supplies.

Deciding to wait until tomorrow to buy more, thanks to the observant cashier, I opened the book that I had managed to pick up.

Squinting, I rolled it around between my left and right hands. If this were here, that means my world is either alive and well, or this is just some debris that managed to find its way here. However, that meant a rift in the dimensions would have to form to get this here.

This was bad, and while I was a smart kid, physics on this scale was something beyond me. I suspected my meddling caused this, but how and why eluded me. Even if I missed my world, I did not want the two merging, at all. Ninjago deserved to be left alone, not infected by the sickness known as human greed.

Hesitantly opening the book, I chose to read the first chapter, and continue reading one chapter a week. I needed to savor this piece of home, it would be almost disrespectful to read it too quickly.

And so I read, with a tired gaze and saddened eyes.

* * *

 **Didn't even plan for Earth things but here they are anyways. I plan for them to become a big thing. A very terrible thing.**

 **Writing still in progress, so I'm not going to update for a long time again. Suffering still awaits my OC, and the Ninja aren't stupid. They're also really nosy.**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. ENJOY SEASON 8 IN ENGLISH FROM AUSTRALIA!**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hi take this update as I continue writing things that somehow went really dark and I kinda realized that I'm too afraid to curse in my fanfiction but multiple suicide attempts are okay and I should probably put warnings on those chapters or something in the future.**

* * *

Unlike all of my other shelters, I stocked up enough food and water for two months in here, a very high amount of food. Now I would only be able to make fifteen shelters, but that was okay. As long as I did not make any more large bases, everything would be fine.

I had stayed here three days, much more than I originally intended. Still, I opened up the curtains enough to let me through, before heading off towards the Sea of Sand. Admittedly, there was not much there in the first place, but Ed and Edna's junkyard was, and I'd set up my base just outside the perimeter. Of course, I'd ask for some scrap metals and such, to build the shelter. If I wasn't allowed any scraps, I'd steal them. Despite their ownership of the materials, it is all trash, and could be compared to hoarding.

Nonetheless, I still held the couple in high regard. They were friendly people, and would likely say yes to me anyways. I'm sure Jay never told his parents much about me, as I seemed to be something he didn't like to even _think_ about.

And so I began my journey again, moving away from Ignancia. There was no further reason for me to stay, and I had already done more than enough for the home I had walked into.

The dirt path I walked on was long and winding, before eventually meeting a clear border between the two biomes. I put my hand forward, and the crisp air of the forest turned into burning, dry, and unfriendly heat. I winced, pulling my hand back.

This wasn't going to be an enjoyable trip, and I knew it.

Sighing, I stepped forth into the harsh desert, my trail set straight towards where I knew the junkyard to be.

Every step I took sapped more and more of my energy, and I had to shake my head every so often to keep my focus. Being normal sucked here, because the Ninja were able to adapt to their surroundings easily. A weak Earth-based human like me could not adjust so quickly.

Still, I pressed on against my own desire of comfort, remembering the long distance of desert I had traversed once. Lloyd, Garmadon, and I had to find the Samurai X cave, which was in the middle of a desert.

That was a very long trip.

Once again shaking my head, I looked ahead, seeing a speck on the horizon. I didn't bring my hopes up, knowing that disappointment would be devastating if I believed.

And just like I expected, the speck disappeared as I got closer. It was almost like all of the things I wanted in this world, always teasing me before slipping from my grasp.

" _You know, if you just sit down and sleep, you can die peacefully. No one will know, and your body likely won't be found._ " Euphony whispered in my ear, sensing my despair. I winced, still trying to ignore her.

" _I know that you feel horrible. I know that all you want to do is forget everything, and just go home. Sitting down and lying in the sand will help you with that. You don't have to remember the pain._ " She suggested, and I sped up a little, as if my speed would deter her from following me.

My mouth was too dry to reply, and I didn't want to waste water.

Continuing to press on, I began to daydream as I moved. I imagined happy faces, a world of shared discoveries, peace in every realm I knew of. I put my motions on autopilot as I dreamed of great things that I knew would never come true.

Because of this decision, I nearly ran into the wall of Ed and Edna's junkyard. I stopped myself, an inch away from slamming my face into the concrete.

I took out some water, drinking it heavily just to make sure I was not hallucinating. After my thirst was quenched, I put a bare hand to the wall, feeling the grooves that you couldn't see. Once I determined it was real, I hugged the hot wall in joy, choosing not to alert the inhabitants of the junkyard.

However, I eventually had to face the two, and I'd rather face them now in order to at least get some form of comfort from the heat.

"Um, hello?" I called into the junkyard, unsure of how to introduce myself.

"Ed? Did you hear that?" Edna yelled, getting out of her trailer.

"Yes, Edna!" Ed called back, and I had to resist smiling. I may be pretty messed up in the head, but these two were so fun I couldn't help myself.

"Don't worry, ma'am, sir, I'm real! I'm over here!" I yelled, standing in the middle of the entrance to the junkyard, too afraid to cross the line.

"Oh, hello there dearie, what brings you here in the middle of the desert?" Edna called out, and I finally stepped into the junkyard.

"A long walk, and a lot of worries. I just wanted to ask if I could build a little shelter with some of your scraps just outside your junkyard, and then I could leave." I hoped that she would say yes.

"Sure, dearie! Ed and I don't get many visitors often, and it seems we always have trouble when we do!" She laughed, and I shrugged. If only she knew what my presence alone had caused.

"Thank you ma'am!"

* * *

Trash clinking against one another woke me up, and it was my last day of being at Ed and Edna's. While I would've brushed it off as one of the two tinkering, it was far too late for them to be awake.

No, someone else was here.

Pulling out my pen, I quietly stepped outside. I observed my surroundings, waiting for someone to jump out and attack. If someone followed me, they had obviously made a mistake, and I was going to neutralize any threat to me.

A flash of red, and a tired Kai looking at me in a daze. His shoulders were hunched, eyebrows nearly pushing his eyes closed. The normal red of his suit was stained, and his knees were barely holding his weight. My eyes widened, and I faced him with my pen ready to stab should he make another move. One could never know, especially with Kai.

Then his face fell into the sand, painfully clear that he had pushed his physical limits. Simply enough, he was exhausted. While I may have been a very harsh person, I needed him alive _and_ I did not want to leave him here in such a state. However, I would need him to explain _how_ he got here.

While I cared, he was still a threat. And threats are always neutralized, in any way possible.

"You are a piece of work for me, I hope you know that Kai." I grunted, as I pulled him towards the trailer. One I deemed him close enough, I knocked lightly on the elder's doors, hoping they were not too deaf to wake up.

"Ed? Edna! I found someone! It's Kai, Jay's friend!" I yelled out, and I heard slow shuffling from inside the trailer. Ed opened the door first, and saw Kai passed out in the sand, and I urged him to help me get him inside.

"Oh dear! Edna? Get the emergency spare bed! We've got an exhausted young man out cold here!" Ed called as I helped the old man carry Kai inside.

Eventually getting Kai onto the bed, the elders shooed me out, which I was very happy to comply. He was the reason for the scar on my leg, a mark that would always be there.

Just like the one in my chest.

Sighing, I brushed off the thoughts. There was too much going on for me to think like this. The best thing I could do was wait until morning, and get a good night's rest.

* * *

I had already decided to wait until mid-day for Kai, and he was still asleep! So, before I would waste another day here in the middle of no man's land waiting for Kai, I knocked on the trailer door.

"Oh, hello dearie! I thought you were going to leave this morning!" Edna greeted.

"I was, but I wanted to talk to Kai when he woke up." I replied.

"Of course, let me bring you inside! He woke up a few minutes ago." She replied, and I mentally sighed. If these two were trying to keep him happy and shock-free, then I was the exact opposite of that.

"Wh-Oh. Hi Starlord." Kai deadpanned, looking at me with angry and confused eyes.

"Good afternoon Kai, what brings you here to the junkyard?" I spoke, giving him a glare of my own.

"Since when were people following you a problem?" Kai asked back.

"A long time ago, Kai. You'd be surprised by how much I was watched before I got here." I shrugged, and he rolled his eyes.

"But really, why are you here? I would've expected you to go… Somewhere else." I raised an eyebrow in question, and Kai refused to answer.

"You are exhausted, and you barely woke up a little while ago. If you passed out with me pointing my pen at you ready to strike, then you _know_ that you can't defend yourself in a state like this. What. Were. You. _Doing. Here_!" I hissed, and Kai continued to glare. I stood up sharply, and Ed came up to seperate the fight.

"Now you both wait just a minute-" I cut him off.

"I will not wait a _minute_ , I have been waiting all day! I am already wasting my time by staying, because I only have so much time before I run out of supplies! And here's _Kai_ , following me across this entire continent! So _no_! I want to know why he is here, and then I want to make sure he won't follow me!" I raised my voice slightly, my anger slipping through the cracks.

"Then why did you run off?" Kai shot back.

"I'm a paranoid kid, I plan far ahead of you! There's going to be a day where we will need supplies, and no one will let us have any!"

"Oh really, and what would that be?"

"A day where you live in infamy." I stepped closer to him.

"But we're the good guys!" Kai retorted.

"Then tell me this, if the public were to believe you were an enemy, but you are fighting for good, what do you think would happen? Everywhere you go, mobbed by the people you protect, and all they want to do is put you behind bars! I'm _planning_ , Kai. I know that day will come, and we're all going to need a place to hide."

"Maybe you're right. But how are _you_ going to help us?"

"I'll get you all to home base, and from then on I'm not sure. I won't remember what happens." I shrugged.

"What?"

"I mean I won't _remember_. Something could go wrong, but I'd never know. Let's just say a timeline is a finicky thing." I explained, and Kai nodded. He knew that I was at my patience limit.

"Now, why don't you tell me why you're here?" I asked one final time, before I would make a move.

"Fine. I'm angry at you. I practically _hate_ you. So I followed you, to see what you're doing while we're gone. And I found a lot of strange things. I've followed you since you left the hospital." Kai admitted. I sighed loudly, falling back into my chair.

"You are a piece of work for me." I spoke as I facepalmed. Kai smirked, happy that he was a thorn in my side.

"Well, now you know that I'm walking across the continent and building shelters, will you leave me alone?"

Kai didn't respond.

"Alright then. If I see you again, and you're exhausted, I am leaving you behind. I am not going to help you. Nor am I going to hinder you. Whatever you do is up to you. Just know the consequences of following me." I threatened, getting up to leave.

"Now excuse me young lady!" Ed bursted out, grabbing my shoulder. I froze, my reflex waiting to kick in and hurt whoever touched me unexpectedly. Realizing that it was him, I calmed and looked at him carefully.

"What is it that you require?" I replied, not wanting to deal with this right now.

"I may be old, but even I know that's not how you talk to someone!" Ed argued, and I exhaled sharply.

"I appreciate your concern, I really do. But I'm afraid you don't understand our situation with one another. It would be best for everyone if you were to not interfere." I insisted, pulling myself towards the door.

"Then at least apologize to him! You've obviously been very harsh, and I won't accept that here in my junkyard." Ed tugged back, forcing me to face Kai.

He's very lucky I have a soft spot for Jay's parents.

"If you so desire. I apologize to you Kai, for being brash and even threatening you. I had crossed a line, and I hope that you may be able to forgive me." I sighed out, trying to make my voice sound sincere. By the look on Kai's face, it seems I did well.

"Thanks, I guess." Kai simply replied, and I was set free.

I couldn't get out of that junkyard any faster, even if I tried.

It was time for me to move on to the next town, and restock my supplies.

* * *

I had built a few more shelters, and my money continued to fall. If I reached my standard limit, then I would have to stop building shelters. I always liked to have emergency money, and spending it all on shelters would not be helpful. Unlike many young children of Earth, I valued money quite highly here in Ninjago. It has helped me quite a bit over the years, as I've had to buy many different and unusual supplies from different sores.

What was more surprising about it all, was that no one asked me about anything. Only the cashier who had that book had been suspicious of me asked questions. Perhaps it was for the better.

I also enjoyed the fact that no one came up to me, demanding my identity. I knew I was Ninjago's most intriguing enigma, but people respected me. That was something that never existed on Earth, and with technology reigning supreme, everyone was watched at all times. Even the toddlers probably were watched, and as I continued to live in Ninjago, I began to look at the sides of my world I used to ignore.

While I missed everyone that I used to know, I began to look at the advantages of living here. My world was harsh and unforgiving, while everyone here looked out for one another. It was generosity at its purest, something missing in the hearts of many of my home.

As for Kai, I looked over my shoulder every so often, making sure that no one else was following me. I needed to treat my time as if I were being hunted by assassins, always on watch and careful for the dagger pointed at my back.

Luckily, every time I turned to look back, I heard and saw nothing abnormal. Maybe it was just Kai who was becoming smarter. And while the greatest way to defeat an enemy is to make them your friend, a neutral party is a whole different story.

Speaking of stories, I had gotten halfway through _A Little Princess_ already. Perhaps one day I could read it aloud, but only to those who I knew would be strong enough to stomach it down. The inhabitants of Ninjago were… Very easy to scare.

Still, while this may scare off some people, I would think that they could handle it. This was not a war story, and was bound to end happily. Personally, I was enjoying the book and it's Earthly texture. The thin pages, despite being nearly _impossible_ to turn, felt amazing to touch and play with. The dimples and small scratches on the cover were visible, unlike the books of this world. Truly, the ability to _see_ what tiny details I was touching made all the difference. It was written in English, and I could read it quite well, despite being separated from the language for a long time.

Tonight I was going to build my last shelter, near Desotown. I was going to visit Cyra, as I had no chance to write to her lately. I hoped she could forgive my absence, and my inability to communicate with her. However, I managed to get a note to Vastu every short while. Though, this time around, we talked less. I did need some sort of anonymity, even if it was from the peculiar mailman who always managed to find me.

For now, it was time to build. My survival skills had increased greatly over the time in the wilderness, and I had begun to gain a tolerance for the wild weather of Ninjago. Of course, I still preferred the colder and breezier climate of Jamanakai, but at least jungles and other biomes were no longer excruciating.

However, I wouldn't count my tolerance as mastery. Different terrains were tough to traverse still, and I had yet to learn how to climb. It would be a necessary skill quite soon, and I did not want to be caught unprepared. Once I finished that task, I could cross it out and work on another in my book.

Currently, I was gathering wood for my small shelter, wanting a sturdy and waterproof place for the jungle's harsh weather. At least I had grown more experienced as I continued building, applying and improving the knowledge I gained from the books. Yet, while it taught me to hunt for food, all of the food I would catch would be perishable. But never let it be said I was ungrateful for the information. Without it, there would be no way for me to look after myself should my pack be taken away. I needed to be fully self-sufficient, and able to pop back up after any kind of blow.

I will admit, the soreness from my continued building of shelters was annoying and painful. Dealing with it was not wonderful, but doable. At least the pain became less over time, but it still affected me, and I was not always able to keep up with the fatigue.

Moving my gathered wood into position and some vines that I had managed to cut, yes I had bought a machete, I began to build my shelter. I felt comfortable with the large knife, but I planned to leave it here. Diplomacy was high on my list, and having a knife would practically destroy my pen's ironic flavor.

However, keeping the knife here would always let me have a backup for a dangerous mission or situation. My pen was amazing, but sometimes a knife did a better job. Such as the vines I needed to cut. While my pen would have made holes in it, enough for it to break, that would take a lot more effort than I wanted while being inefficient.

For now I had the knife, and tomorrow I would leave it behind. Simple as that.

* * *

I was hesitant about seeing Cyra again, even as I held my fist up to her door to knock. Of course I knew she was a nice person, but I had a fear of disrupting her life without warning, asking to barge in with no permission. It was as if I were inviting myself into her house, without her asking first. This felt rude, intruding, _violating_. No, to me this as a sign of disruption in an _occupied_ household.

Even in Ed and Edna's junkyard, I spent as much time as possible outside of their property. They allowed me in, readily giving me resources. I took what I needed, and even offered to pay. They did not accept, but I vaguely remembered placing a hundred Jyn somewhere in their trailer for them to find at a later date. Technically, I could view their property as a business, as they run a junkyard. Things had to be given to them, and the couple would get paid for holding the refused parts. In my mind, it was like going to a recycling park. You would pay money to recycle your items, and then you would leave.

However, Cyra lived in a household, and had no financial sources of income that she _owned_. She was a normal girl, working and living as a functioning member of Ninjago's society. But I realized that debating this at her door wouldn't do either of us any good, and I finally chose to knock.

Hearing steps and a lock clicking, I shuffled my feet slightly. It seemed I could never get rid of my care for those I knew and liked.

"Starlord! It's wonderful to see you again!" Cyra greeted, urging me into her house.

"Hey, Cyra! Long time no see! Sorry I never had the time to mail you, let's say things got a little… Hectic while I was gone." I sheepishly replied.

"Oh no! What happened? Here let me get some water or something…" Cyra rushed out, and I instantly told her I was fine.

"I already barged in here, I'd feel really rude if I made you make things for me." I explained, and Cyra handed me a glass of water anyways. Admittedly I was grateful, she was just as stubborn as Vastu when it came down to helping others.

"So, tell me about what happened." Cyra spoke with a tone of concern and seriousness. I sighed and began to tell her of recent events. Of course, I left out a few details, especially that I had stabbed myself in the chest. Luckily, Cyra did not ask about it, which made my explanation a lot easier to deal with.

And eventually she reached an expression of sadness, and almost burden. Everyone I care about, seems to have that look in their eyes, a dull in the excitement of life. Likely, that was caused by me and my actions. I couldn't keep it all in, nor could I let it all out with everyone. I shared bits and pieces, and everyone who knew me began to have scars on their hearts.

It hurt me inside to know I was the cause of it. Yet, I needed to let it out, and at least I shared my burdens across multiple people. I don't think any resident of Ninjago would be able to hold _all_ the pain I held. Even Vastu did not know about Earth's deadly history like Kai and Lloyd. Vastu knew more about my emotional side, and Cyra knew of my ability to seek out forgiveness. Everyone knew something about me, but only just pieces.

I could only hope they would forgive me after Day of the Departed.

* * *

Walking back to Jamanakai would be easy, thanks to my stamina and way of planning my trip. I chose to make a huge loop through Ninjago, and Desotown was somewhat nearby the mountainous town. But while I was happy about that, my mind was elsewhere.

Obviously the book I had picked up had to be from a rift of some sort between dimensions, somehow breaking beyond the fourth wall of Ninjago's universe. And so, that meant the barriers were either unstable, or tearing itself apart. Neither of those options were good, but both of them led to the same conclusion.

The world was falling apart, and likely because of me.

And then something _terrifying_ began to form in front of me.

It began forming as a small burst of light, temporarily blinding me. I squinted and turned away, before the light faded and the only thing left before me was a small tear in reality, the size of my head. The edges of it glowed softly, but what was inside was merely empty black space.

I scrambled back away from the tear, fear overwhelming my senses. What in the name of all creation was the tear doing here? There was already a rift not so long ago! No, this was wrong, a crime against the bare foundations of this world!

Breathing heavily, I pulled out my pen, waiting for some form of debris to fall out. When nothing continued to happen, I began to investigate. Stepping closer, I stepped in a circle around the hole, my mind struggling to understand it's physics.

What confused me was the fact I could only see the tear in one direction. People usually have portals facing downwards, or they are on a solid. Portals were always flat. This was no different, but because the portal was flat, there was no backside to it. Only if you were viewing the front would you be able to see it, even it's glow was not present.

Even then, my mind wouldn't even begin to wrap around something like a spherical portal. My previous knowledge of portals always had the front facing the audience, and to go behind one was never seen. So I just stopped trying to comprehend the portal's visual state, and instead looked into the blackness.

After a little while of waiting, a small light began to flicker by. It was a lamp and a CD, with the lamp somehow still on. I stepped away from the portal in caution, knowing that I had no idea how fast those two objects may be travelling relative to me. But the random objects unnerved me, showing that there was no one to organize them. No, these were scattered, floating without reason.

I shook my head, whimpering slightly. I could only hope for the best, until proven otherwise. Maybe these were here because of the ISS, or something else. Maybe this was just space junk, and everyone was still alive. Everyone _had_ to still be alive! Obviously, there had to be people, or these objects wouldn't even be floating!

Yes, they _must_ be alive. Somehow, but they're still out there!

They have to be.

My mental crisis was interrupted by the CD and a hand sized black USB drive of some sort falling to the ground beneath. The portal sizzled away, leaving no other evidence of its arrival.

I waited a few moments more, before picking up the two objects. The CD was a copy of the Lion King, while the other was labeled 'Backup Drive' in scratchy print. I put the CD in my pack, putting some cloth around it to protect it. I wondered if I could play it back at Vastu's home.

The 'Backup Drive' scared me a little more. Since it belonged to someone else, I was unsure of what would be on it. I wouldn't expect a password, but there was a high chance of some… Other photos. While on Earth it did not bother me to know someone had those types of photos, Ninjago was not prepared for that. Think about it, even Pompeii had a brothel from two thousand years ago, the idea of procreation was normal. Ninjago however, did not broadcast such information as broadly as Earth.

It was as if I were in a child's daycare, forcing myself to filter what I knew for the sake of the innocent. Yet, the Ninja and Ninjago's citizens were not children. Innocent, yes. Children, no. If anything, I was the youngest out of all of them, but I would say I am the most knowledgeable.

Forcing myself to get back on track, I put the drive into my pack. I would face those hurdles later, and I was sure that the drive would be somewhat organized. If those photos existed, they would be eradicated quickly.

I turned to look behind me, doubling my caution. I was holding an object with an astounding amount of information, akin to finding my personal Holy Grail. No one would take it from me, lest they wish to face my desperate fury.

My ruthless, yet desperate, fury.

* * *

I knocked on the familiar door, waiting for Vastu to open it. I was lucky that Euphony had chosen not to talk to me for the past while, as it seemed she waited until I needed consolation the most.

When Vastu finally arrived, I hugged him, and he was just as eager.

"Starlord! How wonderful that you have returned!" He cheered inviting me inside, and I smiled.

"I agree, it's been a lot of work going across Ninjago by foot." I laughed, sitting down on the couch. Vastu sighed happily, and we began to talk as family.

* * *

 **Well okay take this filler sorta yep yep. I'm tired and posting this on a whim so wheee! Also, when I said the portals would be a bad thing, hehehehehehehe portals are nothing compared to what I'm writing ahead. Time's breaking apart, so rip season 4. Bet you can't find a Ninjago fanfic about someone falling into Ninjago like mine. Also PHSSSSSSSSSST? TV PLOT? WhAt Tv PlOt? That cover's gonna really kinda emphasize what happens in the future, isn't that nice. Aiming to hit that 100k mark again for this story so good luck to me!**

 **Also I hated Harumi since I saw her in the trailers, and I am quite satisfied with episode 82 thank you Hagemans and all other affiliated writers! (Just trying not to spoil season 8 for all the people who wait until it releases in the US or their respective country BUT I'M SO HAPPY! You have no idea how happy I am!)**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HAVE A GREAT DAY!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey I'm back. Oh shadow-dog18... There's something that I know that you don't know and there's a clue in your review. HahahahahahahahHAHAHAHA**

* * *

I did not push off the task of finding what was inside the Backup Drive. Once I finished explaining what it was to Vastu, I set off to find what was inside.

Luckily, it fit into the miniature USB port of the computer, despite the original being meant to fit into a normal USB port. The disadvantages of Earth objects being much smaller, I suppose. The font also remained, making my job much easier. Kudos to Borg for letting fonts transfer between computers.

There were a lot of files that I had to sift through, but I wrote down a few that interested me. Vacation Photos, Music Videos for Translations, Music, and Random. The rest of it seemed uninformative and would not give me any benefits. At least the music could be used to show what music sounded like on Earth. Unfortunately, I didn't see any books. Shame, really. The books would have been nice. But at least the drive was 'clean' of anything unfit for Ninjago.

Opening the Vacation Photos, I looked at all the places this person had been. The owner was a middle-aged woman, and likely by herself. There was hardly ever anyone else but her in her own photos.

Most of the pictures were in the United States, consisting of New York, Los Angeles, Mount Rushmore, Washington DC, and a few others I didn't remember the name of. Some were from Europe, with some pictures of a cruise ship. Ah, a European cruise. Those were nice, but I personally enjoyed staying in Europe for a few weeks and taking the trains. Alas, I didn't know nor did I particularly care too badly for the previous owner.

When I clicked on the file with Music Videos for Translations, I flinched back a little. I saw the thumbnail for a song named 'Bacterial Contamination', and that was something I would have to hide. It was something that the inhabitants of Ninjago would likely panic over, or even attempt to burn my computer drive.

I renamed it at the end adding in 'MARKED' so I would be able to move it later and find a way to lock the file. I continued scrolling, finding most of the songs to be Japanese and Vocaloid-based. Some were still English, but were not quite understandable at points. I liked Vocaloids, so I found the songs worth keeping. And I could prove Vocaloids _did_ exist.

Eventually, I marked down a lot of the songs. While I was okay with them, I did not believe that others would be. They would be locked away, but there would be further classification for severity of the songs.

Music was very full, many different Mp3 files scattered across the file. I sampled many of them, putting down quite a few markers. Some of them were English versions of previous Vocaloid songs I had listened to, and others held expletives. But there was an extra file at the bottom, named 'Christmas.' I clicked into it, and a plethora of Christmas related items popped up. Even videos of Christmas movies were on here!

I smiled widely, almost squeaking. I loved Christmas, and while I shared the tradition with Vastu and Lloyd, the songs and atmosphere was just not the same. Now this would make that much easier on them, and myself. Staring at the folder with appreciated awe for a while longer, I finally headed back over to the Random folder.

Snipping Tool captured photos, strange looking quotes, tax instructions, and some others I couldn't recognize. I marked some of them, but most of the contents of the folder was harmless. However, I did thoroughly enjoy the video named 'history of the entire world i guess.' While the expletives were unwelcome, and deemed the file to be marked, the contents were hilarious and informative. Yes, this would help me document more of world history.

Grabbing the marked files and moving them into a new file I made, named 'A Place for Those of Hardened Souls.' It was ominous, yet something that stood out enough for me to remember. Sighing, I decided to call it a day on the drive. It would take a lot of time to scroll through _all_ the files, for the sake of information and filtering.

Heading downstairs, I compared my CD to our current player. The CD was much thinner, and I debated risking it. Feeling the urge to do it, I softly pushed it into the slot before I could doubt myself. I switched the television input to play the Lion King. When I saw the screen come up, I screeched in joy, jumping around the entire living room in success.

"IT WORKS! BY GOLLY IT ACTUALLY _WORKS_! WOO HOO!" I gleefully cried, with Vastu bursting into the room in concern.

"Starlord! Calm down! What works?" He yelled back, grabbing my shoulders to hold me in place.

"The movie, Vastu! It works!"

"What movie are you talking about? Of course a mo-Oh. Oh! How wonderful!" Vastu exclaimed, realizing that the movie on the screen was too detailed to be from Ninjago.

"We've got to watch it, come on! Come on Vastu, I can't wait!" I dragged the man to the couch, whilst darkening the room as best as I could. I hastily selected play, becoming ignorant to the world around me.

* * *

As the movie came to it's conclusion, I sighed happily. To be torn apart from any hint of my home world was taxing, and this movie was bittersweet. It meant the world was tearing apart at the seams, but I was able to access the knowledge provided by my home.

"We need your help now more than ever." A whispered voice floated behind me, and I froze. It appears my time is up now.

"How so?" I replied, not ready to face Lloyd again just yet.

"You somehow get over _everything_. We need a base block, someone who knows what to do when this happens." Lloyd answered, and I held Vastu back from turning. No, this small peace needed to be kept.

"I'm… Unsure of how to answer you. I do not wish to be a hypocrite, nor do I want to give you the wrong advice." I eventually admitted, an uneasy silence following after.

"Just tell us what you can. The team is falling apart, and I think it's time to bring them back."

Another awkward pause.

"Time and meeting place." I sighed, resigning myself to face the others once again.

Like Lloyd said, it's just time.

"Chen's noodle house, Ninjago City, tonight. If you need a lift, I left the Jet-Speeder outside." Lloyd's voice faded, and looked outside to see the Speedski, the vehicle Garmadon rode on with no weapons.

Giving the vehicle a sad look, I turned around to face Vastu again. He looked down, unhappy that I would have to leave so soon again.

"I don't think I can give you letters from where I'm going. If I'm not back within the next month, send a letter to Chen's Noodle House headquarters on Chen's Island. Ask for me, and get some form of authority on your side. He is not to be underestimated, nor is his wealth. Beware treachery and greed." I warned, and Vastu sighed again.

"I wish your life was not as dangerous as this." He sadly confessed, and I gave a cold laugh.

"If I were smarter when I was young, I would've never done this. But the past is gone, and all I have now is the road ahead of me."

* * *

Docking the newly-dubbed Jet-Speeder outside, I softly entered. I was the last to enter, the Ninja noticing my presence immediately.

"What is she doing here!" Kai pretty much stage-whispered. I payed no heed to them, sitting in the booth behind him. I wished to not face any of them, speaking through a wall was easier. I _was_ going to be trapped on an island with a large amount of strong-willed people for the next week or two.

"I am here because I was requested for advice. Whether you choose to follow it or not is your responsibility." I spoke back, grabbing a small platter and leaving a small amount of Jyn to pay for the noodles.

"Oh really? And what advice do you plan to give us?" Cole hissed, a first from him.

"Have any of you grieved?" I asked back, and the booth was silent.

"The five stages of grief are as follows: denial, anger, bargaining, depression, and acceptance. If I remember correctly, Kai is still in the anger stage, too stubborn to move on. Jay is likely in the depression stage, smiling for the rest of the world, but the world collapses on him when he is alone. Cole is in the bargaining stage, hoping that giving up his identity and everything that used to define him would bring some sort of feeling into his life. Lloyd has already passed on into acceptance. None of you but Lloyd have taken time to stop and look inside yourself to learn to deal with what fate has handed you."

The booth remained silent, and I was unsure of the possible expressions on their faces.

"I know people do not like seeing their flaws presented before them in such a brash manner, but you need to understand that this is not helping you. Forcing yourselves to suffer is not becoming of any of you. If you all need to cry it out in a circle, so be it. Everyone has their different needs, but you need to stop what you're doing right now. It's obviously not helping you." My voice softly reached their side of the booth.

A soft crying came from the other side, the sound of Jay's whimpers was heartbreaking. But it needed to be done. Sometimes crying heals better than laughs.

"However, I wouldn't lose your resolve completely just yet. Messengers of the most shocking news are set to arrive." I knew the villains were here, or at least Chen's lackeys were.

I heard a few thumps, and a flash of red behind me in a reflection. Kai was ruthless, a darkness growing within him. One likely strengthened by me.

"I didn't hear any message." Kai huffed. I stepped out of my booth, approaching the knocked out and tied lackeys. I pulled a paper and several fortune cookies from the leader's pocket.

I passed the items to Kai, and looked at Cole with a serious look.

"Do not eat your cookie Cole. They are named fortune cookies for the paper with a message _inside_ of it." I insisted, and Kai's hands trembled whilst holding the parchment.

"He-I no. Can it? I-I-" Kai went silent, rereading the paper many times over. Lloyd pried it from his teammate's hand gently, reading it himself.

"I-It says Zane is alive." Lloyd quietly whispered. The others gasped, demanding to see it for themselves.

"This has got to be a joke!" Cole seethed, looking back at me.

"It's not. He is alive." I reassured them.

"How would _you_ know?" Jay whimpered.

"I know lots of things." I ominously replied.

Kai passed out the fortune cookies, and Cole refrained from eating his. I watched as they read out the fortunes.

"Master Chen personally invites you to participate in his Tournament of Elements." Lloyd read first.

"Secrecy is of the utmost importance. Tell no one, or suffer the consequences." Jay followed.

"Come to the pier, and don't bring any weapons." Kai continued.

"Accommodations will be provided, bring only yourselves." Cole finished.

"Sounds like we have a rescue mission on our hands." Kai pointed out, straightening his posture.

"You won't get to the pier if you're obvious about it though. You aren't the only ones who know Chen." I warned. The fortunes exploded, leaving an ominous tone behind.

"Then how should we get there unnoticed?" Lloyd asked, and I smirked sadly.

"You've learnt a lot around me, haven't you? First lesson: Lie, but make it as close to the truth as possible. Makes it easier. Second, leave no evidence behind. Even a box with this restaurant's logo will ruin the operation. Come up with something believable. Lastly, don't do anything out of the ordinary. Look normal, don't ask strange questions, don't peek at your friends. Keep quiet, and follow those basic rules. That's how you'll get to where you need to go." I informed, but I was ready to tattle on them should they actually _succeed_.

"Thanks. Looks like we have a fishing trip planned." Lloyd waved me off, and I shrugged.

"Have a fun fishing trip. Make sure to hide the witless witnesses over there." I replied, walking out of the restaurant. I knew that Lloyd was a horrible liar, but he would take my advice to heart. I needed to warn Garmadon, give him a sign just in case.

I walked patiently through the streets of New Ninjago City, the lights glowing brightly through the streets. I was slowly walking around the block that the restaurant was located. Following Lloyd to his home would also lead me to Garmadon. At least, I assumed Lloyd moved out thanks to the untouched state of his room.

Turning around the corners, I saw Lloyd's green outfit ahead, and I walked in the shadows. I made sure to keep him far away, but I would rush if he turned a corner. I was careful to stop running once I reached a certain distance.

Then he turned around, and I froze in place. Did he know? Could he sense me? I held my breath, unmoving and still. If I were to be found out, he could easily stop and deter my backup plan!

With a reluctant posture, Lloyd continued to walk. I sighed silently, relieved that my efforts were not in vain nor immediate danger of being stopped. I was more careful now, waiting to see where he lived.

* * *

In the end I listened to them through their roof. At least, I attempted to. Unfortunately, the roof was soundproof and my efforts were in vain. Instead, I was forced to watch the Garmadon household's front door until Lloyd left.

After a while, Lloyd finally left, fishing supplies in hand and his father wishing him farewell. Lloyd's lying skills improved with my advice, and he became much more adept at it than I expected.

I growled softly in irritation, now I would have to confront Garmadon again.

Waiting another few moments, I jumped down from the roof and knocked on the door slowly, but loudly. The shape of Garmadon appeared in the light behind the paper-thin door. Opening the door, he looked at me with a face of skepticism.

"Starlord? What brings you here at this time of night?" Sensei Garmadon asked in a hushed whisper.

"Lloyd isn't going on just a 'fishing trip.' He's off to the Tournament of Elements, hosted by Master Chen. I had hoped his poor lying skills would have made you more suspicious, but it seems that he took my advice to heart. I suggest we follow him to the pier, time may be of the essence here." I rushed out, hoping he would understand.

"What? How would you know? I understand you may be a smart girl, but I'm afraid I don't quite follow you…" He asked back, and I hissed in frustration.

"I was there when some of his lackeys came to give the Ninja a message. Lloyd asked me how they could get there unnoticed, and it seems he became better at lying than I thought…" I replied, admitting to my interference again.

"There is no harm in going to the pier then. Let us leave with haste." Garmadon straightened, and we rushed to the warehouse harbor.

Once we got there, the boat was just about to leave the dock. Growling angrily, I pushed my running skills to their limits and jumped onto the boat with all of my strength. Screw Garmadon, I was _not_ letting them slip away from me!

A guard was not happy to have me on the boat, and pinned me down. While I would have _loved_ defending myself, I had to be peaceful to make it to the island. I sat still, remaining quiet during the duration of the pin-down.

Garmadon followed after, knocking one guard into the sea and arguing with Clouse. Falling back into an old rhythm, I observed the space around me.

The elemental masters around us looked at me with suspicious eyes, a careful stance in warning. The guard on top of me was just as still as me, keeping a very close eye on me. Garmadon was glaring at Clouse, with said sorcerer glaring right back. Out of the corner of my eyes, I saw the Ninja walking towards us, careful not to make too much of a fuss.

"I'm afraid we have found some stowaways. I would suggest… Leaving this disturbance to us." Clouse attempted to dissuade the Ninja.

"I'll take my father. You can have Starlord." Lloyd came forth, standing up for his father and not me. I gave a sad smile underneath my hood, knowing he was making good on his 'no warm welcomes' statement from the temple. Clouse looked surprised, but hunched forwards soon after.

"You would leave this… Child to us?" Clouse peered back at me, a calculating look to rival my own behind those black eyes. Lloyd shrugged.

"Just like old times." Lloyd glanced at me.

"Just like old times."

"Then you may be on your way." Clouse finalized, Garmadon following with his son. I watched as he turned his back, his dad putting a hand on his shoulder in comfort. It wasn't easy turning your back on someone, but sometimes you've got to do it.

Looking back at Clouse, I watched as he stared down at me.

"It seems you've been… Left behind. I suppose this is where your story of secrecy ends." Clouse inadvertently warned me. Unfortunately for Clouse, I knew how to get out of this kind of pin down. But, I will reason before I fight.

"I wouldn't suggest that Clouse. I'm a fighter when provoked as such." I glared, but he was already reaching for my hood. Crying out, I rolled the lacky on top of me off while grabbing my pen in defense. No strikes, just a promise of pain for those who fight against me.

"Pray that you shall never see my rage when someone of tainted soul should reap me of my identity." I hissed, hoping the message of 'touch my hood and you are dead' got across. Clouse looked pleased, though I wasn't sure why.

"Send her under, I'm sure she can help with the engines." Clouse ordered, and put down my pen.

"Of course." I blandly replied, and I let the lackey grab my arm and bring me down. I was lucky to not lose my pack, but I was wary. Anything could happen down here, and while I had survived being in a volcano, this would likely feel much worse.

While I was guided down the stairs, the followers of Chen looked at me with stares of confusion. But they would often turn to smiles when they must have realized where I was going.

Once the engine room opened, hot air hit my face in a tsunami of temperature. Oh yes, this was going to be much worse than the Fire Temple. I was pushed in, and eventually reached a small room, with a man shoveling coal into a large heater. The man was barely able to keep up with the demand, moving slowly as he shoveled.

"Work the coal. Dan, you're off work until shore." The worker who I assumed to be Dan, cheered in relief, and slowly handed the shovel to me.

"Get some water. You look like you could use some." I noted, and the man paid no attention as he bee-lined for the exit. Now, it was my turn to take on his job.

Holding the hot shovel, I put coal in at a slightly faster rate than the previous worker. I kept myself going at a steady pace, just enough to have a small extra pile on top of the collection of coal.

I continued the bland shovelling, humming some of the old songs I learned when I got a break, and drinking down my water rations like there was no tomorrow. And down here, I wasn't afraid of people hearing me, so I was able to sing my darkest and most disturbing songs. I loved the song of Apotropaism.

Of course, with my isolation, came Euphony. I was almost tempted to name her Entropy.

" _The shadows of your hands on the walls sway back and forth in a dizzying array…"_ Euphony sang with me, and I was not able to tell her to scram. I just continued to hum with her, even though I knew she was just a voice with no physical body to tell gender. Still, I relaxed in her presence for once, and time slipped away.

* * *

" _I think it's time for me to go. You too, Myrana. The ship has stopped, and now is your time to escape_." Euphony sighed, her voice fading away on a nonexistent wind. Looking up from the hard work of the past several hours, I took a deep breath. It appears I would have to find a shower after this, and a laundry room. I put an extra pile of coal into the heater, making it so the boat would still be operational afterwards.

Moving my way towards the exit door, I was quiet and felt the air get slightly cooler as I reached the exit. As soon as I opened it, it almost felt like a cold winter's air, biting at my skin and freezing my sweaty clothes. I basked in the coolness, despite it nearly making me shiver.

Finding then climbing up the stairs that I came down on, I made it to the main deck, where people were getting off the boat. I stepped out, stolling towards the place where everyone else was getting off.

Clouse noticed me, and glared.

"Aren't you supposed to be working on the engines?" He hissed, and I shrugged. I continued on closer, grabbing out my pen in caution.

"Dan was off until shore. We're at shore. I'm off work and this ship." I replied, and Clouse stepped back, deciding that fighting me was not worth it. Not yet, anyways.

Continuing on, I silently followed behind the main group at a distance. My mind was clear, making sure all that I thought about was just the surroundings and their… Grandeur, one could say. I was wary of the group, their powers could squash me in an instant.

Still, I looked around and saw that this place _truly_ was made for someone rich. The large gates and likely hand-crafted drums with a beautiful island was something that very few in Ninjago could claim to have. However, most people didn't want a large space anyways so it never mattered.

Slipping between the gates, I saw Kai look back at Skylor, but completely ignored me due to his affections for her. Nonetheless, I continued behind them all, entering the large room where we were instructed to sit.

I sat farther away from the Ninja, hoping that the separation would show that I was not affiliated with them.

"Welcome, to the Tournament of Elements! Now, everyone can die-" He paused, the doors shutting and everyone standing in alarm but me,"-rect your attention to me! Never before have so many elemental fighters been gathered in one room! I see the elemental masters of fire, speed, shadow, even a prophesied _green saviour_. And of course and old pupil and a wild card has arrived." He spoke, looking at me.

I shrugged in response, not truly caring about what he would say about me.

"The symbol carved around you represents the Anacondrai, the most fearsome Serpentine to ever walk upon this soil. Their motto? Only _one_ can remain." Chen finished, and the person near the gong struck it hard, the thick metal opening up to reveal a tournament bracket-board.

"Behold! That is a Jade Blade. In this game it represents your life. Obtain one, and move on. Have it taken from you? Then you become a loser!" Chen strode over with amazing speed,"The rules are simple. Every fight will be different, no two fights will be the same! Use your elements, or you will lose them!" He smiled, but Karloff frowned.

"What does Karloff win?" The Master of Metal asked with suspicion.

"Win and you get to stay on my island. Win everything, and you receive riches beyond your wildest dreams! Also, a lifetime supply of Chen's Noodles. But, you aren't here for the noodles, right? You want the honor of being the greatest warrior in all of Ninjago!" Chen cheered, and everyone clapped but the Ninja and Co. I clapped for politeness, but it was a slow sarcastic clap.

"And what should happen if they lose?" Garmadon asked and Chen turned to face him.

"Lose? No one wants to _lose_!" Everyone but Ninja and Co. laughed, and all I did was shrug. It was true, but everyone loses in the end anyways.

"Now enjoy my island! It's an amazing super funny and happy place!" Chen finished, and Clouse spoke out.

"You will all be directed to your rooms now." Clouse's order echoed through the room and many servers of Chen walked out ot help the elemental masters to their rooms. Garmadon and I were left behind and Clouse gave us a smug look.

"I'm afraid there are no extra rooms for you. After all, you are unplanned guests." Clouse rubbed in, and the two villains left.

"Well, I'm going to go find a shower. You go do whatever you want." I shrugged, looking for Skylor. After all, since she is Chen's daughter, she will not see me as a high level threat. Others may misinterpret me as a spy.

Still walking, I seethed as I had hit another dead end for the fourth time! At this rate, she might be asleep before I can reach her room! Twisting and turning through the hallways, I brushed against a plant, and I was dropped into a dark cave.

"Ow! You'd think that they'd have a cushion of some sort…" I hissed, now even more lost than before. Continuing to walk, I eventually found a staircase. That had to be good, because the rooms were on several different floors, right?

Continuing upward, I eventually found the corridor the Ninja once went through. Finding the picture was on hinges, I knocked on it to see if Skylor would notice me.

"What? Who's there?" She hissed, looking at me, or more specifically the painting I was hiding behind.

"Um, hi. It's me, Starlord. I was hoping that you would let me use your shower. I'm afraid that I wasn't sure if any other tournament competitors would let me." I admitted, and Skylor opened the picture.

"Then why are you in there?" She hissed.

"Because I hit a plant after my stupid _fifth_ time trying to find someone. Really, they need a cushion or two, it hurt." I replied, closing the picture.

"Fine, go ahead. But only the shower, and then you're out." Skylor sighed, and I thanked her before finally getting into the bathroom and taking my long awaited shower.

* * *

 **Lloyd isn't an idiot. He knows when it's time to give up. Also, Myrana is planned to finally be shipped with someone thanks to one of my real life friends so... Yay I guess? It'll be my first time writing romance but I'll try. Best to experiment with this and fix it if it looks real bad. Be very suspicious BraveSeeker3. It's still a bit away... But you all will find out soon. :]**

 **I can't wait to hear what you guys will think. Thanks to the length of this story, I'm always looking for bigger and better to write for poor Myrana. Give me your best guesses if you want, because I'm pretty sure none of you will expect it. HaHAHAHahaHAHAHA I may be going a bit writer crazy...**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. ENJOY EPISODE 84 TOMORROW IF YOU CHOOSE TO WATCH IT AND HAVE A GREAT DAY!**


	11. Chapter 11

**I'm just posting quickly so all of you guys can see the next chapter. _It's going to be good_. :]**

* * *

Once I had finished, Skylor practically kicked me out, but I was just as willing to get out. I had no need or want to stay in her room. So to settle down, I decided to rest underneath a table where a Jade Blade was not present. I did not want to get mobbed by the other elemental fighters, you know.

In the silence, I enjoyed the calm before the storm. Breaks like this would be uncommon. At least I knew I had everything I needed to survive. If I were denied food or water, I had plenty of rations on me to continue on.

After about what I assumed to be an hour, the speaker crackled to life, and Chen's voice with triumphant music boomed through it.

"Hello fighters! All around my island are enough Jade blades for every competitor… Except one! Return to the Palace Arena without one… and you lose! The tournament begins… Now!" Chen finished, and elemental masters began to fight and scramble for Jade Blades. I stayed underneath the table, waiting until the action died down a little so I could follow someone to the Palace arena.

I watched as Cole fought off the Master of the Mind, while Lloyd was caught by Clouse's magic, with Paleman on his tail.

Eventually, the fight began to die down, with most of the elemental masters racing for the Palace Arena. However, Cole must have had too much food recently, and was walking at a slow pace. I trailed behind him lazily, quiet and mindful of my movements.

Eventually we arrived at the arena, most of the elemental masters present. Cole announced he had one, while everyone looked at me. They didn't exactly see me too often.

"Who are you? And whos team are you on?" Griffin asked me quite loudly, and Cole turned to face me.

"Not with us, that's for sure." Cole growled, moving away from me with anger in his step.

"Just a member of the audience. The worst you'll see me doing is talking to myself when I'm alone." I shrugged, which didn't exactly calm the elemental masters.

"I remember her. She's Starlord, a mysterious follower of the Ninja. However, she's been known to do more harm than good." Skylor pointed out, and I thanked her for saving the explanation of what I do. After all, explaining my very violent acts of the past would not be pleasant. I looked at Neuro, making sure he was not reading my mind. Seeing no looks of concentration, I assumed that he was not reading my mind.

"Sounds pretty accurate." I replied, walking down the steps slowly. Lloyd just shook his head and turned away.

"I understand why the old man is here, 'cause he's greenie's dad, but you've got no reason to be here." Shade, unsurprisingly the master of shadow, pointed out.

"I've got plenty of reason to be here. You just don't know the reasons." I huffed.

"Money? Fame? Personal gain?" Neuro wisely asked. Sadly, he was wrong on all three accounts. However, I was starting to get nervous. Why question me all of a sudden?

"No, no, nope! I'm more or less here because I have to be. After all, who else is going to watch you guys?" I answered, and Cole turned to face me.

"You always 'watched' or put us in danger! You even let Zane go and sacrifice himself! If anything you've been nothing but a parasite to me and my brothers!" Cole shouted, still angry with me.

"I have attempted to become entirely self-sufficient. If anything, I have been doing my best to help contain the mess I have created. You have no idea how much trouble I am in. There are _literal tears_ in the _universe_ right now! There are now pieces of my culture filtering through, and some of them are not something that you want to see!" I yelled, and Neuro flinched back slightly.

Oh… You little waste of human existence! That son of a gun was reading _my mind_! I mentally screamed curses and demands for him to get out, and when he stopped flinching, I suspected he was done.

Walking up to him, I stared him in the eyes.

"Never touch my mind again, or curses will be the least of your psychological worries." I spat, turning away and walking up to the large entrance. Opening the doors, I saw Kai just down the hall, running at a speed I have never seen before. Where was Karloff? Kai sped past me quickly, placing the Jade Blade into the holder at the end of the room.

"Took your tactics and used it on someone else! Didn't know it was so effective!" Kai smirked, and I looked back at him with renewed anger. Once I heard a crash, I glanced back into the hallway.

Karloff stumbled down the hall, a visible bruise on the center of his face. Kai had hit him with the blade?

I rushed forward to help the master of metal, shame and anger settling itself into my heart. I was the cause of such injury, spreading knowledge inadvertently to the most emotional elemental master I knew of.

Letting Karloff put his weight on me, I walked him down the hallway.

"Karloff… Didn't think… Blade so strong…" He coughed out, and I looked at him sympathetically.

"I'm so sorry Karloff. I didn't realize that he would do that to you. I thought he still wasn't bold enough to do what I did." I apologized, truly disappointed in myself for being here.

Once we walked into the doors, Kai's face of triumph fell into a sorrowful regret.

"You never even looked back, did you?" I yelled, and Kai turned away, and I knew there was a troubled look on his face. He should be troubled, he had done something that even I have do not like to remember, unless I did what I did for a good reason.

"Looks like we have a _loser_!" Chen declared, and Karloff was lost to the tunnels beneath. I managed to stay out by letting go of Karloff at the last second, apologizing again as he fell.

"See! Break the rules, or lose, you get knocked out. Don't bite the hand that feeds you… Delicious Master Chen's noodles! Go get some sleep, tomorrow the tournament continues!" Chen ordered, and the people dispersed.

However, Clouse walked up to me from the shadows, and grabbed my arm and pulled me aside. I remained silent, knowing if I made a scene this would only get worse.

"You are not to help or threaten the competitors. That would be an unfair fight, now wouldn't it?" Clouse warned twisting my arm over sideways. I hissed, and glared.

"Neuro read my mind. I am entitled to the sanctity of my own thoughts. After all, even your dark magic could never compare to the losses I have faced. Your pitiful, AH, worthless want for, AHH, power will never outwill, AAAH, what I know!" I yelled, finally punching him in the face and running from him in a full sprint.

A ball of dark magic landed beside me, and I yelped in fear. I wasn't sure if dark magic was anything like dark matter, and I wasn't willing to test that. Scampering away, I watched as the balls of darkness slowly became more accurate, and soon I was hit.

This was nothing like dark matter. No, this strange _magic_ must have been casted from will, I thought as I felt my heart wrenching. Dark thoughts permeated my mind, the things I could do to Clouse… While my emotional side screeched in denial and attempted to purge the strange desires.

" _It's okay… I'm here Myrana! It's me, you named me Euphony!_ " I heard Euphony's voice overpower my senses.

"Euphony?" I whispered, starting to shake and scream her name. Clouse pulled at me, and I scrambled for a weapon of any kind.

" _You still need him, calm down_!" I heard Euphony plead, and as I was about ready to hit Clouse in the neck with my pen, I paused. Instead, I stabbed him in his shoulder, and hissed as I walked away from him, pen in hand. His screams were annoying, and as much as I wanted to end his life, Euphony kept me from doing so.

As I continued to walk away, the negative thoughts slowly began to trickle away, but a small amount of anger against Clouse remained. I no longer had the will to end his existence, but I wished to maim him. Luckily, my thoughts only pertained to him.

While I struggled with the dark thoughts, I began wondering if Clouse could turn my mind against others. Such murderous thoughts toward an innocent… Or even worse… Lloyd.

I stopped in my tracks, looking down at my old and bloodied apron, with my hands tainted with red. The world shook as I as I imagined Lloyd's corpse at my feet, a pen impaled into his heart.

I knew this wasn't real. I _knew_ it! And yet I stepped back, tears in my eyes as I pictured his sorrowful and unmoving face, a brightness gone from his eyes. It was agony as my back hit a wall, the thoughts of murdering Lloyd made me whimper and cry.

" _You wouldn't hurt him. You know that._ " Euphony whispered into my ear, trying to calm me down.

If anything, more blood spouted from the puncture my pen created. Smaller dots of blood were turning brown, and small streams trickled down his torso. The carpet was getting stained, everything unmoving.

"Oh my god… I swear it wasn't me. I _swear_!" I whispered, the body still clear as day.

" _Listen to me, Myrana. Close your eyes and breathe. There is nothing there. You're fine. You are about to go clean up and go to sleep._ " Euphony coaxed as I followed her words.

"There's nothing there…" I repeated as I opened my eyes, and I watched the corpse of Lloyd disappear. All that was left behind was my dirty pen on the floor, only a few droplets of blood stained the carpet beneath.

Picking up the small and deadly object, I walked to find a bathroom. I wiped my hands on my already stained apron, doing nothing more than making my hands smear with blood. Eventually I found one, and I was lucky enough not to get blood on the doorknob.

Locking the door behind me, I walked up to the sink and looked in the mirror. The apron would need washing, but I had yet to locate any sort of laundry room. Everything else seemed clean, other than my pen.

As I washed up my arms and rubbed soap over my hands, I looked in the mirror. One day and I had already done a lot of damage. I began to scrub the pen too, my weapon of destruction.

" _You can never get rid of that damage, though._ " Euphony pointed out, and I sighed.

"Of course I can't. I already know that." I huffed.

" _Should you ever feel like you've done too much damage to be repaired, you have an escape plan in your hand._ " She referenced the pen I was scrubbing, and I clenched it tighter.

"That didn't work last time. You know that." I growled, still as a board.

" _You hit yourself in the chest. The neck is much worse._ " Euphony advised.

"But I'm not ready for that." I replied, my leg scar and chest wound coming to mind. If only I could forget that brown scar across my leg, and the small circle showing where the pen had hit my chest. Alas, I could not. They would be burdens for me to hold forever.

" _Just know that it's waiting for you. Whenever you are ready, it will be there._ " Euphony replied, her voice drifting off. I sighed as she left, leaving me alone in the room. I continued to scrub, even though my hands and arms became their normal yellow. There had to be some blood on them still… And I would not allow myself to leave it on my hands without trying to get it off.

Eventually after a while I gave up, finally drying my hands and arms. Maybe another day, I suppose. I walked out of the bathroom, off to find a laundry room. This may take some bleach…

I paused when I saw skylor walking in the hallway. I could ask her if she knew where a laundry room is, but she'd definitely ask why. Well, I could easily come up with a lie, so it wouldn't matter too much.

"Hey, Skylor? Do you know where a laundry room is?" I spoke a little louder than usual, hoping she would hear me. Immediately she turned to face me, but then she calmed when she realized it was me.

"A laundry room? What did you get yourself dirty with?" Skylor asked as she walked towards me.

"I was outside, got a lot of dirt on my apron. Not pleasant…" I sighed, looking down at what I had claimed to be 'dirt.' Skylor huffed in annoyance and pointed back where I came.

"Down the hall, first left and it'll be your fifth door on the right." She hissed, walking off. We weren't exactly trusting of one another… I suppose that is where our animosity towards each other came from.

Following her directions, I walked inside the room and was pleased to find she didn't lie. It was small, and a sign said that this was a smaller part of the palace and therefore needed less washers and dryers.

And it was true, because only one washer and dryer were being used out of the ten for both sides. There must have been larger rooms closer to the entrance and center of the palace.

Taking off my apron and throwing into a washer, I looked for some bleach or cleaner. Finding one in a cabinet, I found one for the stains I had. Pouring the pink cleaner into the washer, I set it to an extra small load and all the other settings that this machine had.

Once I pressed start, a timer for fifteen minutes came up and I proceeded to sit around and grab my journal. I held my pen, and untwisted the cap off. I muttered as I wrote, reading what I was going to write.

 _I got hit with Dark Magic… And it's different than Dark Matter. It must have some sort of willpower based energy source, because my darkest thoughts sprouted after I was hit. Never have I had an urge to hurt someone that much. It was terrifying, and then I thought of Lloyd. I'm not sure, but I think that Dark Magic may be able to point my dark thoughts in a direction, and practically control me._

 _And because I thought of Lloyd, I saw things. I saw his dead body with my pen straight through his heart. I never thought that I'd be so afraid of something before. It was the most horrible feeling, and without Euphony, I would've been there all day. I know Euphony is meant to just be a voice in my head, but for some reason she's so comforting. She sings with me, talks to me like a friend, and maybe she is one of the few friends I have left._

 _I know she's here to try and make me kill myself, but she's so alluring it's impossible now to say no to talking with her. Euphony is someone who I know is there for me when others can't be. I keep denying her requests and offers to die, but I can't refuse to sing with her. Besides, she's the only one who gets the idea of Earth culture being too overwhelming for Ninjago. They wouldn't even begin to understand the concept of things like racism, because they are all the same color!_

 _I hope that once I tell them that at least one person can forgive me, understand that I can't give everything up. I'm already trying my hardest just to survive, I can't keep everything in balance, no matter how hard I try! Maybe I wasn't meant to jump in, maybe I was stupid to even think about following the idols of my childhood._

 _It's too late now though, and seeing as I got a backup drive… It's only going to get worse. The portals are probably going to get bigger and I can do nothing about it. All I can do now is hope that I can catch a break._

I finished writing, and I realized how little space I had left in the journal. I would need to buy a new one. Seems like my life won't just be held in one book…

I heard the washer ding in completion, and proceeded to move the wet apron to a dryer. It was probably only going to take ten minutes at most to dry it completely. I took this time to just sit and look down at my hands.

Bizarro me had no blood, and her death was requested. She was a suicidal as I was, and she knew that for anything to keep going on in Ninjago, she had to die. Clouse didn't know this, and his death would have been untimed. He did not request to die, and as such death should not be given to him.

It would've been wrong to murder him. It was not his time yet.

And yet I had such an urge to end his life, to watch him bleed onto the carpet. I wanted to see him choke on his own blood and die slowly. I had no mercy for him.

From this moment forth, I will not piss off Clouse again. Not without an escape plan this time. The Dark Magic was very strong, and would easily overpower me again. Should the magic have a stacking effect on my sanity, then I doubt that it would be a good idea to face him again.

Grabbing my apron out of the dryer, I headed out of the laundry room, satisfied that the apron was clean and dry. I walked down the halls and back to the main part of the palace where the bedrooms were. Luckily, the absence of light from above informed me it was nighttime.

If I remembered correctly, the Ninja were going into the tunnels and spying on the Anacondrai Cult. Knowing that it was unlikely for anyone to come out and talk to me now, I sat underneath a desk and began to try and fall asleep. But sadly, every time I closed my eyes, I couldn't think of anything other than Lloyd's corpse.

I really shouldn't be playing 'God' right now. This world was never meant for me. I didn't want this. Well, on some sort of low level, I wanted to meet and become friends with the Ninja when I was younger. But that was pointless now.

Now they hated me, and I even hated Kai. Pointless dreams like that weren't going to help me.

Then in the darkness, A figure walked towards me. I pulled out my pen, waiting for the figure to reveal themselves.

"Dark Magic is not something to play with. I should know." Garmadon's voice hit me, and I put my pen away. I crawled out from under the desk, peeking up at the old sensei. How did he know about that?

"And from your tone, I assume that you think that I have played with Dark Magic?" I asked, and he nodded.

"Kai and Lloyd told me as such. They were unsure of your true intentions with it, however." Garmadon admitted, and I sighed. They must've heard me whilst crawling through the walls. I would need to talk to them later.

"I was trying to run from it. Dark Matter and Dark Magic are not the same. I suspect that Dark Magic comes from one's will, and because of my strange interactions with the energies of Ninjago, I was not quite mentally stable afterwards. Clouse's will may have implanted itself onto me, and I reacted to it badly." I spoke as I hunched down, still regretful of such thoughts.

"Yes, Dark Magic runs on willpower, and your want to hurt others. It thrives off of a clouded mind, never ceasing to corrupt." Garmadon confirmed.

"Clouse _really_ shouldn't have done that earlier." I muttered, checking to make sure my hands were yellow.

"What did he do?" Garmadon questioned as he guided me towards a chair. While I wanted to do nothing but scream my guilt out, I wanted to use this as an opportunity. There may not be another chance.

"I would really like to tell someone. Truly. Because this hurts so badly, as I considered… Look. I'm really paranoid right now and I'm not stable. If I tell you this, you've got to tell me something back. This scares me so much, because it's possible. It's _possible!_ And I don't feel safe talking about it here, because if they heard me, who else could possibly be in the walls?" I hissed, looking around for any sort of listening spot.

"And what do you want to know?" Garmadon inquired, and I stared him down.

"I need to know about 'The Hands of Time.' I've heard of the name, but I know nothing else other than that. And I'm not too keen on _not_ knowing something. Not when I'm a borderline criminal." I demanded, and Garmadon hummed in thought.

"A deal." He replied, and I held out my hand for him to shake.

"You tell first. Do not be afraid, I do my best to keep my word. I once even gave up my privacy to stay with your son, despite it ending out poorly lately." I requested, and he hummed again.

"As you wish." Garmadon spoke as he shook my hand.

"The Hands of Time are two twins who used to be with the Elemental Masters. They had the ability to stop, slow, reverse and go forwards in time. Their names were Acronix and Krux. Eventually, they realized that time was an extremely powerful element, and turned against us. Together, their motto became 'control time, control everything.' And so we asked Kai's parents to create four blades made of chronosteel, the only metal with the ability to absorb elemental power. Afterwards, they were exhausted, but they finished the four blades within the deadline.

"Then, Wu and I together took away their powers, and sent the blades through a time vortex. The Time Twins foolishly went after the blades, and disappeared into the vortex. After that, we don't know what happened. The two are stuck in the vortex. That is their story." Garmadon finished his story, and gave me a pointed look.

"My story begins when I entered the Palace Arena. I was speaking, and I made sure that Neuro, the master of the mind, was not reading my memories. Assuming he was not doing so, I continued to to speak. Eventually, I began wondering about the bits of Earthly culture that aren't pleasant, and then I saw Neuro flinch. My assumption was incorrect, and he was reading my mind. I bombarded him with horrible thoughts, until he pulled out of my thoughts.

"I threatened him with more psychological damage if he dared to re-enter my mind again. Then I helped Karloff for a while, and then he lost and everyone was escorted back to their rooms. Clouse stayed behind, and told me not to favor or threaten the competitors again. He twisted my arm, but I replied by saying I had a right to my mind and I could do as I please when it came down to my head. He didn't take kindly to that once I punched him away, and I ran with all my strength.

"Then he hit me with Dark Magic, and it was like my heart was screaming for me to stop but my thoughts screamed 'death to Clouse' louder! I turned back to face him, pen in hand. My thoughts raged against him, imagining many different deaths for the man who had hit me with the Dark Magic. Clouse was my target, my root of anger. I planned to kill him, watch him suffer and bleed. Euphony, a very… Cozy voice in my head told me that I shouldn't kill him, that he was still needed for time to move on. Her angelic voice strayed my thoughts, and made me only stab Clouse in the shoulder.

"I heard his screams of pain and I didn't care. Euphony kept calming me down, when I thought of Lloyd. And I knew it wasn't real, I swear! I _swear_ I knew! I care for Lloyd more than you know, and seeing him… Like _that_ … I was scared. I was terrified that anything like that was possible!" I screeched, and took a deep breath. Here we go, I've got to explain the worst of that moment.

"I saw Lloyd dead on the ground, my pen straight through where his heart would be. Blood dripped down his sides, staining the carpet. My hands were stained with red, and I knew that it was Clouse's blood, not Lloyd's, but it still felt like his. I feared that if Clouse could make his magic force me to kill Lloyd, it would happen. That your son would die at my hands." I sniffled, and began to curl up.

"E-eventually Euphony snapped me out of it, her siren-like voice of death, and I went and cleaned up. Now I'm here." I finished, turned away from Garmadon, furiously twisting and turning my hands to check for any blood.

Garmadon was silent, and I heard him stand up.

He then proceeded to walk off, anger lacing his steps.

I crawled back under the desk, and proceeded to silently shed my tears of guilt and sorrow.

At some point, I finally fell asleep, my tears lulling me into the soft darkness.

* * *

 **Yes, Clouse is mean. Yes, Kai is also mean. Kai kind of went for that 'can't beat them, take their tactics and use it against them instead to break down their stability' thing. Seriously though, I've made Myrana one hecked up kid. It's a lot of fun, actually. You'll all probably hate me next chapter, but we'll see. I can't help it, but it's a lot of fun for me to know exactly what's going to happen and what you think is going on. Hehe!**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HOPE YOU ENJOYED SEASON 8!**


	12. Chapter 12

**Just a warning for Myrana being Myrana yall know what I mean.**

* * *

When I awoke, it was to Neuro's poking and prodding in the early morning.

"What do you want?" I growled, tired and groggy from my fitful sleep.

"I wanted to apologize. I know that I wasn't thinking clearly when I watched your thoughts. Whenever I usually meet people, I watch their thoughts to understand their intentions. I didn't think that you would value your mind so highly, nor would you attempt to rebel. I am not perfect in my judgement. I'm sorry for causing you pain." He apologized.

"I do not forgive you. Now you understand how highly I wish to protect my thoughts. Because of the knowledge I hold, my mind is much more valuable than any other on this planet. My life hangs in the balance of no one being able to exploit my thoughts. Forgiveness is not something I toss around like candy, especially for such an error." I refused, and Neuro, stepped back in shock and a little guilt.

"Then you have my word that your mind is safe." Neuro finished, walking off with other people.

I huffed, and watched as a few more elemental masters filtered out of the room, until I followed the last ones. Lloyd and Garmadon.

Tailing them slowly, I watched as they walked towards where the cafeteria would inevitably be. I still didn't know my way around, I didn't get a map, after all!

I did my best not to pay attention to the two strolling in front of me. I heard them whisper to one another, and began to think of Euphony. Since I knew Lloyd and I were likely never going to fix our problems, I tried to call her from my mind.

" _Yes?_ " She spoke, a surprised tone lacing her voice.

"I just want to talk to you, Euphony. I'm kind of lonely here…" I whispered, and Euphony gave a soft whine, the closest thing she could do to represent a small smile.

" _Sure. I'll be there whenever you want me to._ " Euphony agreed, and I sighed in relief.

"Thank you… You have no idea how much that means to me." I happily replied, but then I realized the two I was following were gone.

"Euphony… Did you see where they went?" I whispered, and she gave a small no.

"So… We can keep going and get lost, or just sit here until someone comes around. We do still have rations anyways." I noted, and Euphony hummed.

" _Waiting seems like the best answer. If they wanted to hide they probably had a good reason for it._ " Euphony replied, and I sat down near the wall.

"Yeah, sounds like a good idea… Hey Euphony?" I asked.

" _Hm_?"

"Do you think that they will forgive me after Day of the Departed? I know I've done a lot of horrible things, but do you think that they would understand? Like 'Wrong Place, Wrong Time?'" I wondered, and Euphony was quiet for a second, thinking on my question.

" _Kai will likely be very smug, and Lloyd would feel lied to. All of them would feel lied to. It depends on what you do to change the future, even though I know that you're doing your best to not change it._ " Euphony admitted.

"I guess you're right about that. It's not like I can leave anymore either, they seem to forget things without me. I'm part of the team, no matter how much I hate it. Still, I'm not sure what will happen. I know that Garmadon's story was quite helpful, but I still don't understand what the consequences of my ignorance will be!" I huffed to myself, starting to nibble on my rations.

" _Neither do I. However, I still understand your concerns. In a world not of your own childhood, it's scary to face the unknown._ "

"Scary? More like terrifying. This isn't what I'm used to, and I'm lucky enough I got that backup drive."

" _Yes… Seeing your homeworld was nice._ "

"Speaking of which, that was mortifying! That stupid portal… It's going to mark the end of a timeline, universe, dimension… Something! The end of Ninjago as we know it, if it continues! But… I can't stop it. No one can. Everything's already falling apart, and fixing a timeline? I hardly can keep up with my own studies of math!" I started to panic a little, taking large bites of my ration.

" _It looks bad, I know. But you're clever, and you know it. You can fix it_." Euphony replied, and I smiled.

"Thank you, Euphony. I may not agree with your idea of killing myself, but I can definitely say that it's nice to talk to you when I know life is going to get even rougher." I hummed, finishing my meal and Euphony laughed as her voice faded away.

Standing, I looked up and saw a flash of green.

"Oh." Was all I could think of saying, knowing that Lloyd likely heard all of my conversation with Euphony. I growled softly, beginning to walk silently towards where I thought Lloyd had gone.

Eventually, I heard the muffled voice of Lloyd, and I pressed myself to the wall to hear better.

"-rana's not stable. I knew that since the end of the Final Battle, she's had some issues, but I've never seen anything this bad. She's talking to herself, Dad! Myrana's not sane. It's not safe to have her around everyone like this." Lloyd expressed his concerns.

"But there are no mind healers here! Not on this island, and certainly not in Ninjago since the Serpentine Wars!" Garmadon replied, and I already knew what Garmadon confirmed. Ninjago's medicine was lacking, compared to Earth's modern medicine.

"Isn't there something we can do? Isn't there a special tea, some sort of healing herb? Something?" Lloyd begged his father. I squinted in annoyance. Now I would not trust anything Lloyd or Vastu gave me to eat or drink. Lloyd was getting desperate.

"Any mind healing knowledge was erased long ago. And for good reason. The venom that used to course through my veins? It was still a mind-affecting component. People would become addicted to things like it, giving them strange visions and unimaginable highs." Garmadon retorted, and I rolled my eyes. Basically drugs. Nothing new to me.

"But she's not safe, dad! If we send her to prison, then she'll find a way out! Myrana's extremely smart, and knows how to hide." Lloyd tried to get his point of danger across.

"There is nothing you can do Lloyd. We could attempt an arrest, but as you said, she's clever. She would easily find a way out. For the time being until you can find a better solution, you can do nothing." Garmadon sighed, and Lloyd was silent.

"Fine. Her problems aren't mine anymore, anyhow." He whispered, barely loud enough for me to hear. A whoosh sounded softly through the air, and I knew he was going through the rafters again. Searching the roof above me, I saw no evidence of his appearance, and I relaxed. He and his father would likely be walking in a direction opposite of me.

Still, I was careful to look up quite often. I never knew if one of them were going to jump out from behind and bring me down. However, this seed of doubt planted in Lloyd would be extremely dangerous. If he did manage to arrest me, there would be a lot of problems. I may be smart, but breaking out of prison would still be an extreme challenge.

Finding my way back to the main bedrooms, I hid underneath the desk again. I checked over my list, frowning as I realized that the things I listed as a need, might not be possible anymore.

 _List of Variables in Life:_

 _-NOTE: This is to ensure a good life after Day of the Departed, DO_ _NOT_ _HAVE THIS TRANSLATED, READ, OR DESTROYED!_

 _1._ _Have multiple places to live with supplies inside._

 _-_ _Should pack be destroyed, have replacements!_

 _2._ _Once Day of the Departed is over, explain knowledge!_

 _3._ _Keep contacts with Lloyd and Vastu. THIS IS A NEED!_

 _4._ _Get books._

 _5._ _Save journals digitally, or create copies. (This is just in case of losing journals)_

 _-_ _All journals should be in English or put through a cipher._

 _6._ _Attempt to keep good relations with the Ninja, or as many as possible._

 _7._ _Learn martial arts from Lloyd._

 _8._ _Learn about as many ancient artifacts and other powerful items as possible._

 _-_ _Misako may be a good help, but is not recommended._

 _9._ _Learn about 'Hands of Time.' THIS IS A NEED!_

 _10._ _Stabilize mind, keep cool calm and collected._

 _11._ _Find a filter for knowledge, so Ninjago doesn't get any violent ideas._

 _12\. Learn to rely on self. No others required._

 _13\. Master all environments, prepare for the worst case scenario._

 _14._

Sighing, I looked at the only thing that was crossed out. Simply enough, that was one of the few actual physical tasks. Grabbing my pen, I smiled a little in relief as I crossed out number eight. No longer would I need to worry about getting information out of one of the sensei's.

However, I wrote a new requirement.

 _14\. Study every prison in Ninjago, create escape plans._

I didn't trust Lloyd or any of his friends to not arrest me. His very presence was now a threat. Lloyd was the only one close enough to me to know how to press my buttons, to get me close to surrendering. If anyone decided to manipulate him into trying to arrest me, there was a very good chance that he could succeed.

Putting my journal away, I played around with my pen a little. Such a violent mix of the strongest things humanity could ever offer. They say the pen is mightier than the sword, but a mix between the two that anyone could use was much more dangerous.

Opening the top, I rolled my claw on the end. Ink trailed onto my hand, leaving a small dark streak. Wiping off what I could on my pants, I wondered if I could draw something, or write, or maybe color. Honestly, I just needed to do something. My head felt heavier than usual, and the weight of ultimate reasonability rested uncomfortably on my shoulders.

Crawling out, I met face to face with an injured Clouse. I screwed the top of my defense pen shut, glaring him in the eye.

"State your intent, or I will ignore you." I coldly asked.

"Not even a hello? How… Rude of you Starlord." Clouse hissed.

"I do not care for your input. Proceed to explain your intent, and I will not ask again."

"Why, that would spoil the surprise!" Clouse snickered, dark magic flaring up in his uninjured hand.

"Your intent has been made clear. If you somehow manage pull off what I think you're trying to do," I stepped sideways to back away with my pen poised for another attack, "Then I cannot guarantee that you will still be alive afterwards. I do not care if I must take your role of being the idiot of season six, as long as you are dead at the end of your mistake." I warned, running for my life, weaving as best as I could through objects that would block the magic. Surprisingly, I didn't hear any footsteps behind me, and my fear heightened.

Clouse had something planned, and it wasn't going to end well for me.

Looking up, I saw Chamille and Toxita, if I remember correctly. They were in hot pursuit, ready to strike me. I focused on the master of poison, knowing that she could knock me out with gas.

"Don't capture me! If Clouse succeeds, I'm going to kill someone! And I mean that quite literally, I will stab someone to death!" I screeched, turning a corner as a toxic cloud grew behind me. I faced Ash and Gravis, and I had to pick which one to hit.

Gravis. He could defeat me much easier than the master of smoke. I raised my pen as I ran towards him, and Ash threw smoke at me, and I coughed heavily. I missed Gravis, barely grazing his side. Still coughing, I felt the smoke haze stick to my head. I kept coughing, tripping to the floor in oxygen-depletion. Or was it… Drowning. No… Suffocation. I felt everything getting lighter, and the haze fizzled away. I continued coughing, and my pen was of taken from me thanks to Gravis' gravity. My pack left my back, and I felt the weightlessness that came with being picked up by gravity.

"Clouse," I coughed weakly while my vision became hazy, "You're a dead man." I whispered, and everything faded.

* * *

Waking up to see a dark roof, I groggily tried to sit up. Unfortunately, I was chained to a table. Clouse stood in front of me, a grin on his face. I coughed again, but I realized how easily the air escaped my mouth.

"YOU TOOK MY MASK!" I screeched, struggling against the cold metal chains.

"Oops." Clouse laughed, holding my mask in front of me.

"You have no idea the pain I will inflict upon your mortal body. I will slice open your skin with chains, I will force nails in your ears, I will cause you to swallow your own hair in shame as I hold you captive for months with barely any nutritious foods. Your death will be a mercy." I hissed, my struggle weakening as I realized my words were the only thing I had left now. Clouse raised an eyebrow, obviously a but surprised with my threats.

"What? No defeating me, or 'I will destroy you'? Aren't you an original…" Clouse smiled, dropping my mask in favor of forming dark magic.

"Your plan will backfire on you. I am not a toy to be tampered with. Your survival was only due to Euphony's insistence. I'm sure she won't mind me murdering you, should you proceed with your current actions." I laughed back, knowing that I had no way out. Clouse frowned a little, then threw the magic at me. It flowed into my body, this time with something more complicated and perverse than rage.

Chains! Chains! Chains! I could use them. Yep! I could use them. Wonder if the person in front of me would like it around their ankles, until their feet need to be amputated due to lack of flowing blood. Oh! The little Lego is moving its mouth. Is it screaming? I feel like it should be screaming.

It will scream at my hands. If not it, than something else. Maybe the floaty one. That one might die.

"You are to injure one of the Ninja. Preferably the green one." IT'S NOT SCREAMING.

But wait. Maybe if I can agree I can kill him. Can I?

" _Starlord_!" A distant voice called. I ignored the voice, it sounded too innocent. It was obviously that angel on your shoulder. Nope, I'm gonna kill and no one can stop me.

"Understand?" The thing glared at me.

"Injure? No kill?" I tilted my head for more effect. He nodded, but didn't release me.

"I AGREED. LET ME OUT. INJURE. INJURE. NO KILL." I started screaming, wanting desperately to get out and kill something. The Lego won't know what hit it. My pen was put in my hand, and I calmed a little. Pen is good. Pen is deadly.

I was pushed outside the room, and the door locked behind me. I was in front of all the other Legos now, and I looked for the floaty one. I didn't want to hurt the green one, it was too early for that. The green one was the ultimate kill, to be savored.

The chains released.

I laughed and dashed as fast as I could for the floaty one with a blanket on his head.

"DEATH TO ALL!" I screeched, and the floaty one pushed me back. The other Legos began to fire at me, but I was carefree as I began to throw anything I could get my hands on to gain an advantage over the floaty one. He was going to die.

The old Lego stepped in front of me as I was about to throw a chair. How stupid of him, the thought I would stop for him? I held onto the chair, and let it swing into his head.

Old ones die too easily though. They go flat at the smallest of hits. Obviously, it _did_ think that I was going to stop. It was out cold, still breathing. I frowned, but picked up his staff nonetheless. I hurled it at the floaty one, this time causing an opening.

I sprinted forward and stabbed him in the chest. Just like I did to myself. A collective gasp spread through the room, but the green one did not. It just aimed some bright green ball at me, and I slashed it aside.

"You're the ultimate one! The ultimate kill!" I giggled, losing focus on floaty. It'd probably die anyways.

Green started to yell, but it was close enough to screaming for me.

"The ultimate kill deserves to be savored." I smiled, and more green bright balls were aimed at me. The other Legos began to move too, but they were rushing to floaty and the old Lego's side. Only the color team and the brain stayed with green.

Brain said something, and I frowned. I didn't like brain. Brain needed to die first. I moved and rushed towards brain, when a wall of rock was created in front of me, and I smacked into it. I staggered back, and I growled.

"Black, you shouldn't have done that!" I hissed, jumping towards black instead. Rock began to form, and this time I used it as a boost. Black realized its mistake, but it was too late. I was going in for the _kill_.

"Headsho-" I was cut off by green who dove at me with furious passion. Rage I had never seen before, even stronger than what my muddled memory could provide, which wasn't much.

Now it was screaming at me, and I smiled.

"KEEP SCREAMING FOR ME! I WANT TO HEAR NOTHING BUT YOUR ANGUISH AS I KILL _YOU_!" I cried out, forcing my pen into its torso, but I made sure it didn't go too deep. Not yet.

But the screams of green were so satisfying, and I felt so alive. Nothing felt as good as taking the one thing that could never be given back.

Others began to come at me, but I lashed out and managed to injure them all somehow, immobilizing them. Green was bleeding from his side, the whole room covered in a bit of everyone's blood but mine.

I twisted off the top of my pen, planning to make the green one's death even more satisfying.

"This part of the pen is still ever so sharp, with just a little pressure. But red… Well, I think that color is a bit overused in this room, don't you think?" I was only meet by moans of pain and crying. Oh how _wonderful_ to hear.

"Did you know Starlord isn't my real name? _Shocking_ , isn't it. Maybe because of my origins or behavior you didn't question it. But right here, right now, I'm going to write my name on you. You're _my_ kill. I'm not letting you go now." I giggled, and I wrote my name gently across its forehead. M-Y-R-A-N-A. It groaned, and covered its current wound. I scoffed, but let it have the small comfort. I placed my name on its neck, cooing as it whimpered.

"Shh… I know. You're _afraid_. In pain. You should be. But it'll be over soon, I promise. You may be the ultimate kill, but there's someone else who'll suffer much more. That sorcerer Lego… Feel happy you're not going to be it."

I turned to my name on its forehead.

"Whoopsie! Can't let anyone see my name, now can we? Let me just cross it out real quick." I spoke as I began to strike out the name with the pen. Screams of horror and pain echoed from green as I pressed hard enough into the skin to write across the bone underneath. I scratched it out in rhythmic lines, showing I cared about how I killed it.

"Oh… There's one on your neck. Let me just get that…" I smiled, and green began to thrash, but it had already lost a lot of blood. I teased the name, crossing it out in ink first, but slowly adding pressure. Then I heard that sorcerer Lego. I frowned, as it had ruined my moment of glory, the ultimate death.

"You." I hissed, getting off green. It weakly crawled away, but I kicked it before it could go too far.

"Stay, because I still want you dead at my hands first." I glared, but green left my focus as the sorcerer had another ball in its hand.

I dodged the ball, and calmly walked to it. It stepped back as it realized its little balls weren't hitting me. Once I was close, I sprinted again, this time with my pen aimed for injury.

"You're going to die." I said simply, not even letting it speak out against me. I pressed my pen into its thighs, hoping to hit veins. It was going to bleed to death, and it was lucky I wanted it dead so quickly now. Green was my main objective, and I couldn't leave it alone for too long.

Pressing my pen down into the underarms, I smiled as I hit another large vein.

"We hate you. You waste of human effort." I spoke, the shoulder angel's voice with a small accent slipping into my tone.

Then something wooden hit me in the head, and I became really dizzy.

"Oldie?" I wondered as I noted there were three. Another good hit to my forehead with something metal blanked me out.

* * *

What… What did I do?

Where… Where am I?

I stared forwards, seeing bars thicker than your average prison. I blinked tiredly, attempting to reach out and touch the bars.

But my arm was stopped by another chain restraint. I flinched back into the wall I was chained to, remembering these chains just before my attempt at murdering everyone.

" _Myrana_!" Euphony shrieked, and I turned in the direction of her voice. I tiredly thought of a reply, but I was unable to voice it. Only now did I notice there was a gag on me.

" _God... Do you understand what's going to happen? You didn't listen to me, and I would've pulled you out of the trance! Clouse is probably heavily injured! We're going to get screwed over now, Lloyd isn't afraid to restrain you in every way now, and he has been screaming while you've been asleep. He has PTSD for sure now! Everyone probably does_!" Euphony released her anger and frustration out on me, and it was the first time I had heard her like this.

I merely looked away and put my head down. Tears started flowing down my bare cheeks, and for once I didn't care about the mask. Instead, I pulled my head forward, feeling no restraint on my neck. I slammed my head back, satisfied to feel cold brick.

Sobbing as I attempted to crush my skull in, I paid no mind to the master of gravity entering the room. I felt warm fluid flowing down my neck while things started to blur. Wasn't like I could see too much other than my impending doom anyhow.

Then a force caused my head to still, and I frantically struggled against it. I screeched to let myself die, to let this monster become nothing more than a corpse, but I was not given mercy.

Blubbering through the gag, I eventually gave up and became limp. I could only hope that they would kill me instead, retribution for my crimes.

Had I truly gone wrong? Was I the true waste of human effort and care? Doomed to become nothing more than the monsters I had hated?

Was this the true path for every human that ever existed? Forgotten and the last one becoming nothing more than a savage and horrifying creation? Had I become the last tainted remembrance of Earth?

Would Lloyd ever recover? Would _anyone_ ever recover? Will there be scars upon their skin forever, to be tortured eternally by my presence?

I'm sorry! I'm so sorry! Don't forgive me! I'm sorry! I'm worthless, just kill me! I'm so _so_ sorry!

Please… I can't live in a world where I do this. I've done the unspeakable.

Please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please please…

I'm not worth it. I crossed the line. You can't save me, and I can't save you.

It's okay now. I think I'm ready to leave for good.

Next time you see an opportunity Euphony… Take it. No hesitation, just regret.

I opened my eyes, with everything blurry thanks to my tears. Portals were forming everywhere, random items being strewn all across the small room. Already, several elemental masters were trying to figure out how to close them, while a pillow was placed behind my head.

I couldn't even kill myself correctly.

Continuing to sob, I blocked out the world around me. There was no reason to care anymore. I had no explanation to keep living. I don't want to keep living.

I want to die, right now. I don't want this world to house me anymore.

I hope I face the worst torture that anyone can be given once I die.

Eventually, I heard my false name being called. I glanced up, and saw the elemental masters being swarmed by the sheer amount of things falling out of the portals. I vaguely heard them scream for me to stop, or for a solution. One of them tore the gag out of my mouth to let me speak. They were desperate.

I frowned and thought for a moment. Well, I planned to die soon, so no harm in telling them now.

"They're portals to my world. The timeline is falling apart now and it seems that the continuum can't handle it." I monotonously replied.

"Timeline?" I heard a voce parrot back at me.

"Yes. The order and way events happen in. My presence has disrupted the stream. The world… Well I'm not sure. It could be colliding or collapsing. I had hoped my mistakes would never get this far."

"So did you know the future?" A familiar voice asked. A hot and fiery one.

Might as well give up.

"Yes. I do know the future. However, only to a certain extent. I never saw past Day of the Departed." I gave away my soul. It was the last bit of myself I had held, one I had sworn to keep until my death, or if Day of the Departed passed.

"Day of the Departed?"

"I only know about the future and past thanks to television. Ninjago was a show in my world, and was originally meant only for two seasons. Specifically, from Lloyd's release of the Hypnobrai, to the defeat of the Overlord. Due to popular demand, it was continued on and had successfully reached six seasons, and the holiday special."

"So… You knew this was going to happen all along? That if you tried to change it… This would happen?" A new voice asked. I didn't care.

"I believed Ninjago would fall apart at the hands of a villain should I cause events to change. Only until recently did I find that portals would form. Everything that falls out is from Earth."

"All of this stuff… It's from your homeworld?"

"Yes. However, I cannot guarantee I can read everything. I am only fluent in English and reading Dutch."

"Look, we can't keep up with the stuff falling out! It's just piling up, and we can't close the portals!"

"I don't know how they work. I have no solution for you." I stopped trying to feel. I stopped everything in my head. All I could do now was just follow orders given to me. There was no reason for me to have free will.

"Well, can you think of anything?"

I paused, looking for a semblance of a thought. An unusual order, for sure.

"Perhaps your powers may be causing them to stay open. My world never had magic or powers of any kind. Find something that is not infused with powers and throw it in or scratch the edges. Please note this is only hypothetical and is not tested."

A little while later, I heard their frustration as I decided to open my eyes again.

I was not worried about the portals that could consume me. Nothing in here fazed me now.

"Use an Earthly object." I suggested, and once they did, the portals closed with a small pop. A solution to the portals.

The room looked like a hoarder's house. Junk and strange items strewn across the floor. The elemental masters just began to pick it up, and only Kai remained after a short while.

"You killed him you know." Kai whispered, and I turned to face him with terrified eyes.

"What?"

"You killed Clouse. Chen's been going insane, and even destroyed his staff in his own episodes of sheer disbelief."

I remained silent for a moment more.

"Kai?"

He didn't respond.

"Can you… Can you melt a dagger to the wall behind my head? I don't… I don't want to live anymore. I've got no reason to. The things I've done… Well… I deserve to be dead. You and Lloyd can look through my journals. Get Zane to try and decipher it. Or I can give you a short summary of how letters work together. Just… I don't want to be here anymore. There's so much wrong I've done. Maybe without me your lives will be better.

"Murder… God… Have I truly become such a terrible monster?

"Please let me kill myself or burn me alive. I'm afraid if I keep living, I might one day become so demented as to… To… I don't even want to say it. But I'm still afraid my mind will break even further. I'm truly afraid that I might go into fits of terror and kill again. Kill families, kill children, infants! There is no one to help me, and no longer am I safe.

"Please Kai? Will you… Let me just die this once? It'll be all over for you after. You'll never have to see me again." I begged.

I closed my eyes again, waiting for something to happen.

Heat slowly approached my face, but it cooled and moved to my shoulder. My sleeve was pulled back, and then I felt the slow burning on my shoulder.

I just waited for my skin to catch on fire, so no one would see me again.

The burning left once I couldn't feel the pain anymore.

Kai, the master of fire, left without another word.

Letting out a shaky breath, I let myself hang limp and continued to brood over my sheer worthlessness.

* * *

When I decided to focus on the outside world again, it was when I heard the screaming of a very familiar voice.

It was bloodcurdling, a shriek of terror and fear so potent that it settled into my own stomach.

It was Lloyd.

He must have been having nightmares, I concluded.

Nightmares about me and my crimes. Nightmares about me killing him like I did Clouse, unfeeling and horrifying.

The screaming continued, and I heard other voices try and calm him down.

Nothing seemed to be working.

So I hung limp again, flinching when I heard things break and the screaming of Lloyd didn't stop.

* * *

More elemental masters came around me, but they often just interrogated me. Kai took up on the offer of a manual to read English.

After we had finished making said manual, he explained the marking. He understood I had never seen it, nor would anyone talk about it. It was almost like their ultimate curse word, the one no one would even dare to think about.

It was a surprise to understand it's meaning.

 _Etkatdos_ , 'Traitor to one's culture,' or 'Rights-less as a slave.'

More or less the sign of disowning and turning a person into property. Every person in Ninjago knew about this word, but never used it. To do so was an extreme decision, and the marking would inform everyone that you were a criminal on a scale so high, it was okay to kick and beat you in public.

Even Kai expressed a bit of… Reluctance in explaining it, but proved he believed that I was the kind of person that deserved to be marked with the word. In all honesty, I did not blame him. If there was a word or symbol I knew for that, I already would've traced it into my skin.

Of course, Kai didn't stick around me long. He noted that I seemed broken. Unable to function and hold conversation. I was an answer machine, only good to give out answers to questions.

They spoon fed me, and I didn't care. I was hoping I would starve, but I didn't. As for other things, Toxita was my chaperone of sorts.

One night, after they spoon fed me, a necklace was placed around my neck. It held a small amount of red liquid inside it. Karloff was the one to walk me out of the room, and towards the shore. A small raft that looked like I would barely float on it was placed on the water.

Everyone was gathered, including Lloyd. He had forced his hair to hide his scar underneath and shook quite noticeably as I looked at him. His hand was reaching for a knife that wasn't there.

I forced myself to look away and saw Chen. He was barely himself, quiet and fidgeting with the want to kill me for killing Clouse.

Once again, I turned to face the raft, barely lit up by the fire Kai provided as a light for the entire setting.

Zane was out and about, not even willing to let me have any eye contact.

Skylor stood in front of me as we stopped, and she stared me in the eyes with a rage I knew I deserved.

"Myrana Detrias Bustrale. For the unspeakable crimes you have committed, you will be given the most severe punishment known to Ninjago. You will be given the punishment of Solenade.

"A raft with no sail, so no wind may blow you to safety. A vial filled with a single drop of blood from every victim you have inflicted your wrath on. Only your bare underclothes so the sun may bear down its full fury. Leaving in the midst of the night to show the very sky does not pay attention to your presence."

A sword sliced away my surface clothing, leaving me in nothing but my undergarments. I didn't care anymore.

"No light on your raft so no soul should see your wretched face, holding nothing but hatred. No food or water so you may slowly eat yourself from the inside out, like you sucked the life away from others. You will be given nothing, so that you will drown or starve.

"Your raft will barely carry you, much like you chose to not carry the souls of your comrades up. And the marking of Etkatdos," Everyone flinched slightly but seemed to agree with the decision as Skylor pointed out the marking on my shoulder, "To show that you are a traitor to be treated like property." She kicked me in the gut. Hard. I curled over and coughed a small amount of blood up.

"Should any object this punishment, please speak out now or forever hold your peace."

Only the small flick of Kai's flame made any noise.

"Then may you never return to the shores of Ninjago."

I was shoved onto the raft harshly and was pushed away from the shore.

Looking upwards, I saw the few stars Ninjago had glimmer angrily, their twinkling bright and flashy. They seemed to have a red tint to them, and the moon itself had a shade of rust.

I stared back at the shore, where Kai had smothered his flame and the people were gone. The island was far away now, and I looked back up at the moon.

"It's okay. I'll be gone before the sun has to care. You can tell the sun all about my death in detail, so they don't miss out on my suffering."

"Euphony?" I whispered, and her sweet voice cooed before plunging me into the water.

Death at last.

* * *

 **Heckin suffer my readers.**

 **Suffer.**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HAVE A GREAT DAY AFTER THIS DEPRESSING CHAPTER!**


	13. Chapter 13

**Welp. Have this to soothe your cliffhanger feels!**

* * *

Hngg…

Am I… Still alive?

I'm supposed to be dead! I don't want to live!

I shot up and saw the dark green fog of the Cursed Realm.

"A Solenade… There hasn't been one in centuries!" A voice I remembered well hissed. It was Morro, the master of wind.

I spun around to face the ghost I remembered, and he gave me a suspicious look.

"What'd you do to get Solenade? The last guy… Well we don't like to talk about him." Morro shivered.

"Murder and repeated violence, often stabbing people." I admitted and looked down at myself. I was still in my undergarments, and despite my modesty, I didn't mind it. Morro shifted away from me, and I looked back at him.

"The last guy accidentally burned down a village and was found guilty on trial. You _actually_ committed murder?"

"Yes. I was under the influence of dark magic at the time, but…" I trailed off, not liking to talk about it. But if he wanted to know, I'd tell. No reason to hide anything anymore when I'd go find some water. Morro shuffled a little further away.

"Do you know where there might be some water? I was hoping I'd die for good." I asked shyly, and Morro looked confused.

"You can't die… If you get hit with water, you just teleport back here." Morro squinted, and I started to tremble.

"So I had _successfully killed myself_ , and I cannot even gain peace from knowing that maybe my violent, monstrous existence wouldn't be remembered so Ninjago could live freely? DO YOU HAVE ANY IDEA HOW I FEEL? I _MURDERED SOMEONE_! I DESERVE TO DIE! THE WORLD SHOULDN'T HAVE TO FACE ME EVER AGAIN!" I screeched, curling up and holding the vial of blood that had turned into a solid dark emerald. Other ghosts noticed me and backed away. Morro began to float away, but I laughed and grabbed him.

"YOU SHOULD BE HAPPY THAT YOU AREN'T THE GREEN NINJA! I NEARLY MURDERED HIM MYSELF AND I'VE LEFT SCARS ALL OVER HIS BODY! YOU… YOU JUST CHICKENED OUT AT LIFE BECAUSE YOU COULDN'T GET WHAT YOU WANTED! YOU WANT TO LET THE PREEMINENT OUT? BE MY GUEST, BECAUSE ONCE SHE DIES, I CAN DIE TOO!" I screeched, before shoving him away and curling back up into a ball.

Morro obviously wanted answers, but knew if he got any closer, he'd be the subject of my wrath. He floated off, checking over his shoulder quite often. Other ghosts left me alone, isolating me from any other sentient life.

I began to cry again, and yet as I sobbed, it was dry. No tears were shed, just pure self-hatred. I cried, cried, kept crying until I found I had drained all of my energy just crying. At this point, I just let myself drift and float throughout the cursed realm. I couldn't die. I couldn't do anything. The timeline is broken.

My weak attempts at being anything other than a waste of space had obviously failed.

I would just wait until I was pushed in a corner, never to be seen again.

Yes… That sounds nice.

I shut my mind down, hoping I could sleep. However, in this new form… Sleeping was impossible. I still could hear the ambient humming of the green realm around me, and the occasional ghost that would try and read what was on my shoulder. Once they saw it, they scampered away quickly.

Eventually, I heard portals opening and closing, larger items falling out of them. Once I felt something large and humanoid-like fall through my figure, I shot up and looked down. I raced for the human who had not changed his figure to that of a Lego like me. I screeched excitedly at the thought that Earth was alive.

Somebody other than me could be a better ambassador! He could be the proof I wasn't alone!

Grabbing him before he fell onto the dark green ground beneath us, I slowly lowered him onto the platform. I had noticed after a while that land was optional, sometimes leading to an endless void.

Still smiling and laughing with genuine excitement for the first time in a long while, I tried to shake the man awake. He didn't wake up. I tried to yell in his ears, but nothing happened. I put my claw to feel for a bare pulse, becoming afraid that he was just like everyone else here. Dead and unchanging.

Not a single beat pressed against me.

I pressed my hand away, temporarily closed the portals, and flew back down to the man. He was only just a boy, looking no older than twenty. He had light brown hair, a blue shirt with a logo I didn't recognize, a pair of jeans, and converse shoes. He had a sight tan and had a few tan lines on his face and wrist, showing that he probably wore accessories often.

Once again, I began to sob. Earth really was dead, and every human other than me was killed. No wonder all the objects came out of a black void, because there was no Earth to hold it down!

This is what the last living legacy of Earth has become. A murderer, liar, and a monster.

No home, no family, no friends. Just a little girl who obviously has something wrong with her.

It took a long time for me to finally focus on the dead boy in front of me, and I wasn't sure what to do. This was no place for a burial, nor would it be respectful of me to carry him around. I wasn't sure if he wanted to be cremated, or if it was even possible in this realm.

Slowly, my clouded and depressed mind began to form a basic idea. I would bury him, but he would be given a huge memorial. A true gravestone of epic proportions, for the first human that was innocent and dead.

Picking up the boy, I floated through the realm, looking for a place where he would belong. The cursed realm was never meant to be a place considered 'pretty.' It was always just hazy green and bony spikes protruded through many different areas. Sometimes I passed prison rows, where some ghosts would remain trapped. I knew not the reason for their captivity and my freedom, but I didn't complain.

This twenty year old would get the best grave I could give him in this place. Even if he dissipates with this realm.

Eventually I found a small corner. There was a cascade of bony arches reaching to make a similar shape to the place in Australia. I could not remember the name, but it was still gorgeous for this place. I checked to make sure that this was not a grave already, and I found no text or evidence of a grave.

I set the brunette down and began to dig with my hands. The strange green soil gave way, obeying my wishes to burrow beneath the surface. Slowly, I built a hole just large enough for him. I dug deeper, going down a considerable three feet below the surface. Any further, and I would have trouble keeping the hole open.

Picking up the boy, I checked for an ID. I found one, and his name was James McKinley. I went over and carved the name into the soil, so I would remember when I would carve the bony surface.

Putting the ID back, I carried James gently into the makeshift grave. I had no material to create a coffin, sadly. The cursed realm lacked many resources. I ruffled his hair once, feeling the strands and realizing how many he had. I took the tiny textures of life for granted.

Slowly pushing the dirt back, I patted down the soil and saw a small lump. I frowned, I wished I could give him a better burial.

"May you rest in peace in this realm of chaos. I wish I knew who you were, so I could tell your story to all here, even if they are just as dead." I spoke and looked down at my vial. I pulled the necklace off and pressed it to the bone spires. It carved amazingly well, the dead material bending to my will almost as if the solid blood inside were repelling away the bone.

I carved my message and his information into the spires, putting lacey designs everywhere I could. This grave deserved to have details reminiscent of the Arc in Paris. It would be beautiful.

I continued to carve, the designs weaving together and with a gorgeous detail never before seen in Ninjago. With every scrape and swipe of my vial, the bone would oblige and bend down to create my piece of art.

Once I finished, I stepped back and looked back at the grave. I got on my knees, showing my utmost respect for James McKinley.

Turning around to leave the grave, I saw a small crowd of ghosts. Morro and his friends floated inside the crowd, staring at the grave in awe. I put on the vial again, glancing at the group.

"What… What is that? Why'd you make it?" A ghost I didn't know asked me, in disbelief of the detail.

"It is a grave for James McKinley. He… He's human just like I was. Not the human you're thinking of I'm sure, but he came from Earth. My home. He fell through a portal that formed and I realized he was… Dead. I'm t-truly the last living person from Earth." I sniffled, albeit artificially. Ghosts didn't have snot, thanks to it's liquid state.

"Only ghosts form around here. Banishments to this realm haven't been done in many years."

"He _wasn't_ banished!" I hissed, turning back to the grave. James McKinley was innocent in my eyes, he had no reason to be here in this place.

"Then what happened? Mortals don't fall from above here." Morro snapped, and I sighed.

"My presence keeps making portals form. They all link back to Earth, and as far as I know, can only be closed one way and for a short time. James fell out here… And I only saw it proper he was given a burial." I sighed.

"There's a way out of this place?" Another ghost cheered.

" _NO_! My world is dead, and I highly doubt you'd stay together anyhow. Ghosts don't exist there, nor does magic of any kind. If you were to go in, chances are you'd just… Dissipate…" I trailed off, and I began to hope.

Perhaps I could fly in and end it! I would just fall apart into nothing, and the world would be free of me! Of course, I'd have to wait, but that was fine. I would do it once I could.

"You're still really intent of finding a way to truly disappear, huh?" Morro noted, and I stared at him.

"Yes. Why shouldn't I be?" Morro only shrugged in return.

"Then I have my answer. I will be here until another portal forms, and I can jump through." I replied and sat underneath the arches with James. I hoped he might like it, so that I could do something good, even if it was for someone who was dead.

But once those portals opened, I would die with the rest of humankind. I would still hold my regrets, such as being the monster I am, but at least I would finally be erased from this world.

"Hey James? If you're there… I hope you like the grave. I thought that you would need something a little extra, since you were probably better than me and you were more likely to be innocent." I whispered to the dirt. I waited as if I would get an answer. Euphony's reply was what I got back.

" _I think I do like it Myrana. Reminds me of that old century stuff, almost gorgeously creepy. You did a nice job_." Euphony spoke, giving herself a slightly deeper voice and a light accent, which I couldn't recognize.

"Thank you. It's nice to know I did something right." I smiled, and a portal started to slip open, less dramatic than usual.

I walked up to it and pressed my hand through. It fizzled away, but I did not notice the fizzle returning to the edge of the portal and slowly reforming. I whooped and waited for it to grow larger as I continued pressing my body into the void.

Darkness took over again, and I was foolish enough to think that I would be able to die.

* * *

I woke up again, feeling sorer than ever. It felt as if I was disassembled and reassembled all at once. I opened my eyes, thankful for the dark green of the Cursed Realm. Now that I was awake, I knew I wouldn't be able to fall asleep again.

Groggily, I searched the area above me for other ghosts or portals. There were none, and I returned to focusing on _why_ I was back here.

It was so nice, the darkness and bliss for eternity. Then I had to somehow reform back here and suffer! I suspected it was due to the fact that my homeworld had no magic. Portals close because I scratch them away with non-magic items. So with me being magical, I would be forced back here and reform thanks to my new ghostly nature.

At this point, with so many attempts at suicide, and only one of them half-succeeding, it felt like it was just time to give up. If I can't die, then I'll just find somewhere to hole myself up so no one has to find me.

Slowly pushing through the pain, I floated at much less than a meager pace. It was as if I were moving slower than a snail. Alas, I cared not and continued to find a place where I could just hide away.

As I floated around, I began to hear whispers from other ghosts as I saw more and more of them. What they spoke of surprised me.

"Have you seen the memorial? It's gorgeous."

"The new Solenade made it, and it brings a little bit of life to this place."

"Somehow, the memorial is a grave. No wonder it's amazing."

"I've seen a small treasure pile being made… It's truly amazing. Even I've given something away."

Listening to the compliments, I made my way back to James' grave. A small pile of things were neatly stacked around the hump of dirt that hid James' body. They were all small things, and I understood why. Ghosts could not reform clothes or create new ones. Any possessions you had were the _only_ things you would have. To see this small pile… Meant that they respected and admired the grave. They enjoyed it so much so, that they were willing to give away something compared to a wedding ring passed down for a hundred years.

As I stared at the pile, I felt something. It was a spark of resistance against the wish to curl up and hide. Instead, I chose to do something else. If this brought so much joy to the people of the Cursed Realm, then I would do something to make their lives better.

Without further thought, I glided away at a slightly faster pace to find Morro. I would not apologize for my yelling. There was something inside that felt as if he should be happy that I did not attempt to hurt him further.

Once I saw him, he was staring into space on a platform. There was a troubled look on his face, and I halted. I did not wish to scare him. I began to hum a small tune, hoping he would hear. Morro did not snap out of it, and I got louder until I saw him blink and look at me.

"I would like to ask a favor of you." I spoke, getting closer and Morro squinted.

"Didn't you go through one of your portals?" He accused.

"I did. I reformed, and it was quite painful. I truly cannot die. Earth cannot hold a magical creature like me." I sighed.

"Then why do you want my help? You've done nothing for me."

"You can be the first name."

"What?"

"I plan to create a carving of every ghost present in this realm. Every name will be put somewhere with lace designs not unlike James' memorial." I replied, and Morro blinked in disbelief.

"You're… Planning to carve everyone's name? I thought you were so intent on disappearing."

"I was. But… At least I can make sure that others can feel better than me instead. The memorial… If people are willing to give up their possessions… Then it has to be something somewhat worth doing." I shrugged. Morro thought over it.

"Alright. But my name first."

"Of course. We'll figure out the details while I carve out your name. I think I know just the place to put all the names." I replied, and we began to float to where I believed the names should be put.

It was a darkened corner of the Cursed Realm, where bony spikes reigned supreme over a large patch of land. Little pathways weaved through the bone forest, much like a spiderweb of intricate designs. A thick fog hung over the place, even more so than the rest of the Cursed Realm. Ghosts very rarely came over here, finding it to be a place where getting lost meant terrible luck with others. Unintentionally hearing the whispers of ghosts were very helpful for me.

"Here? You want to carve _here_?" Morro hissed, looking at me in doubt.

"No one comes here. It's not forgotten… But not remembered like it should be. It's not a creepy place to me, but a natural work of art made only in the unique ways of this realm. The pathways trace along one another in a graceful dance, and I view it as the perfect place to carve. Besides, there are no other places in here where bones are collected together in such a way. It would be troubling to travel around the Cursed Realm to find your name."

"Fine. Just show me what you can do." Morro ordered, and I flew down to the first spike. It was almost like an entrance monument, a lone spike before an entire forest. On the front middle, I took my necklace off and used the vial to begin carving into the bone. Once again, the bone melted to my wishes and I wrote Morro's first name. I asked him his last name, but he said he didn't have one. No reason for me to push, so I continued carving around his name.

We began to talk about the deal, and he decided that he would bring one ghost at a time. I wanted to personalize every name to the person themselves. Morro would bring his acquaintances first, so good word would spread first about what I was doing. I kept carving, focusing on the details.

Slowly, his name intertwined with the lace in an airy spider-like web, showing his element of wind, and his poisonous passion. He was a man who get what he wanted, because not getting what he wanted could've meant starvation when he was a boy. I finished, stepping back from the name and Morro looked in awe at it.

"It's got such a smooth flow. Like my element. What does everything mean?" Morro grazed his claw over his name.

"It does represent your element of wind. It's almost like a spiderweb, to show that you always get what you want. You are invisible to the eye unless you hit it just right. You're elusive and passionate, Morro. The design reflects the barest parts of your personality." I replied.

"How'd you know about my element?" Morro hissed, once again floating back in distrust.

"I am from a different universe. When I had commented about you unleashing the Preeminent, it was because I had seen the timeline where you had released her, and you died with her. I had only seen the one timeline, without my existence and how you possessed the Green Ninja, alongside your element of wind."

"How much of my life did you see?" Morro growled, moving closer this time.

"I saw small snippets of your youth. The first time you met Wu, how you grew more aggressive with time, and when you left Wu in anger. I did see you run from a Grundle, and your body in the caves. Other than your attempts to gain the Realm Crystal, that was all I had seen." I admitted, and Morro glared.

"Tell no one about my life."

"Of course. It is your private life. To speak of you without your permission would be beyond rude." I shrugged.

"Good. I'll go get Soul Archer." Morro nodded, and flew off.

Once he returned, I put down Soul Archer's real name, Adrian Housner, and carved. Morro would leave, and once I finished, the ghost who I had carved for would find Morro. Then Morro would bring another ghost. The process continued, and I began to listen to ghosts and their life stories.

Some names had very jagged and modern-like carvings for their strong personalities, while others were like Morro and his lacey design. Designs varied from each name and the personalities behind them. The bones did not take long to become filled up, and soon many names were put upon the bones. The fog would stick closer to the ground around the pathways, letting the names become visible to all, and I had only covered about half of the spikes.

As time went on, ghosts would visit the forest and look at all the names. I was often left alone, which was a relief. I still felt quite broken inside, but this gave me something to do. A reason to not fall into a cycle of erasing myself and reforming in pain. Portals would open often, but I always closed them and gave away the objects should anyone want them. Ghosts had little possessions for themselves, so why not give them what Earth had left? It was dead anyways, just like everyone else in here.

Sadly, not every ghost was free to visit me. Many were left in the prisons, as they were too violent to other ghosts to stay in the very fragile society. Yes, there was a small society, but it was much more like anarchy. People would stick to their own, and there was a feeling of tension between groups. However, they all felt that if one fight started, the entire realm would become chaos itself, so they all remained civil to an extent.

Still, I managed to get prisoner names and their personalities. They had very sharp edges somewhere in the carving, to show their violent nature. However, each had their own little designs like everyone else. It was a forest of spiky snowflakes; no two names were the same. My name was last, with both my fake and real name. It was the simplest name, the one that deserved to be forgotten.

Once I was done, ghosts came in at an alarming rate, filling up the forest almost all the time. Every ghost who walked in looked on with wonder and began to socialize with one another. It was truly a new phenomenon in the Cursed Realm, and one could see the improvement everywhere.

Dark greens became lighter, and streaks of neon green made their own designs occasionally across the sky of the realm. Ghosts became happier, and groups merged together. Some prisoners were let free or even left with supervisors to see their own names. Each one gave me looks of awe as I would pass them by. It was a feeling to combat the depression at least. But even this feeling was not enough to rid myself of it.

I went back to Morro again, and this time he was looking up at the streaks, squinting with confusion. I did what I did before, humming and letting him know I was present.

Morro noticed me much faster this time and floated towards me.

"What do you want?" He huffed, and I frowned.

"I need ideas. Something to do, or else I'm going to fall into a cycle of depression and pain, trying to erase myself with the portals and failing to die. What do you think would be a good project for me?" I requested, and Morro thought for a moment.

"I've noticed those portals that keep following you. Stuff keeps falling out, you could build something. Maybe some sort of house." Morro shrugged, and I thought about it.

"You're right. I'll think on what to build. Thank you." I nodded slightly and flew off to go and think. This place really only needed something to sustain morale. It was just so empty here, that no one could enjoy it. Of course, this was named the Cursed Realm for a reason, but I was never meant to be a part of it. If I had the ability to change this realm for the better, why not? I had ruined so many lives when I was living, so might as well become good in death.

Floating around in thought, I wondered about _what_ would work. Bars and restaurants were out of the question. I needed to make something that would bring together the ghosts, while still being only a temporary place to hang out.

Thinking back to Earth, I thought of something new. I would create a little barbeque-house like place, with torches surrounding the area not unlike Hawaii. Or at least, the touristy version of it, I knew Hawaii had population issues. Other than that, I remembered little about the tiny state.

Waiting for portals to form, I willed for certain items to fall out. Of course, that wasn't always the case, and I would have to throw things back and wait for what I needed. A few books would tumble out once in a while, and I kept them. Perhaps a library would be my next creation, with guides to read them. Or at least the English books, the others would just be put aside into the non-English section until I received a translation book.

Luckily, I got some books that helped me understand the concept of building more sturdy and rigid structures, rather than just sticks and nature-based items. They were helpful in the slow creation of the building that looked like a circular temple from Greece. I did not remember the name of the building, but I remembered it's existence in Athens.

Even though most of the creation was just a material waiting game, I was happy that I could create things in this realm. No longer would this place be somewhere to waste away in, but a place where people could become productive.

Yes, Earth was not an infinite resource, but there may have only been a few thousand ghosts at most. Carving may have taken years, but no one in here could keep track of time, including myself. Time was irrelevant, and people were much more patient for things here. Much like time is irrelevant, Earth was massive compared to Ninjago. A few thousand inhabitants are nothing compared to the seven billion of Earth.

At a snail's pace, the building was created. Several carved and lacey columns surrounded an area in a circular fashion, with a roof made of flat slate. On the inside, lied a few musical instruments, most being percussion upon a small stage. The piano, on the other hand, was a beautiful centerpiece, a fantastic sleek and shiny black. It proudly sat in the middle of the stage and was gorgeous to listen to, as it held a small paper player inside of it. The floor beyond the stage was a mosaic of color, standing out from the rest of the Cursed Realm. It was a creation of the stars and heavens above Earth, a glorious show of glittering stars and nebulas. The ceiling was painted with a simple render of the Solar System. Of course, it was not to scale at all, but was a nice look.

Paths were put into the dark green dirt, as I had placed rocks and gravel around and inside the pathways lit with torches of fire. Sculptures I had created were peppered around the area, each depicting human nature in good and bad ways.

Once I felt satisfied, I flew off and would nudge ghosts in the direction of the little hangout area. I would attempt to play the piano but found it difficult and just let the paper play instead. If someone could figure out how to play it with these claws, they could be my guest.

Again, ghost society began to improve. People were mingling, and I could see relationships form as they would dance to the music created in the little hangout spot I decided to name 'The Heart of Thought.' The forest had already gained its own name, 'Remembrance Forest.'

I supposed this was my new life. Create a stable society within this realm and do something somewhat good with my life. I'd only be remembered as the Solenade who created the realm's little hangouts and other things. There would be no murder or violence in my record here, just creation. And no one would remember my personality, just my name in the simplest form in the Remembrance Forest. I need not interact and ruin others' afterlife. I could be forgotten as the bad guy, and I guessed that dying in memory was better than nothing.

* * *

 **Alright. Time to explain because ya'll are gonna be like 'BuT wHeN cLoUsE fIRsT hIt HeR iT wAs AlL a DrEaM!11!'**

 **See, when Clouse first hit her, he was picturing just mindless anger. We all know when mindless anger gets the best of us, and we kind of do things we shouldn't. That's kind of how that mixed with her at the time, her world was nothing but anger and it can make us see things that aren't really true. When Clouse hit her again, this wasn't blind rage. It was an _attempt_ to control her thoughts in the direction of injury to somehow move her out of the way in the Tournament. However, the effects of Dark Magic last longer, due to being a willpower-based power rather than general social energy. The two effects of the Dark Magic merged and became a force to be reckoned with. Admittedly, I had originally planed for Euphony to get a sort of power up from this effect, but that died out and didn't really happen.**

 **Phew! Long explanation over, now I'm going to go off for a while because I want to continue writing ahead. Yes, I write really far ahead. Weird habit, but if I find myself in a sticky situation, there's still something for you all to read in the future. But take this little hint before I go...**

 **When Myrana has hit her rock bottom and found a way to settle there, think about those who's she's chained to her past and what they're going to face.**

 **Time to wreak havoc on someone else this time.**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HAVE A GREAT DAY!**


	14. Chapter 14

**Nope, not a dream! But I bet you the end of this book will feel like one.**

 **TheKittenQueen, I plan to write one more book. I had originally planned this to go alongside Ninjago until it ended, but I feel like this book should end next book. 300k words are plenty, and I've got other ideas to write too. I'm thinking a Ninjago Movie and Ninjago: Masters of Spinjitzu crossover, or perhaps other Earthling to Ninjago story. I'm a sucker for that kind of story trope. Besides, now that my brain has successfully broken the timeline to shards, I can actually use those portals next book!**

* * *

It had been what I assumed to be a long time. I had built a library, an amphitheater for sports, and a small neighborhood. Other neighborhoods were being built by me as time went on, with everything made of stone to make sure that it would last longer than a blink in other's eyes.

One day, I was building a small house when I felt a portal open. They would give off miniscule amounts of energy I could feel, but when I turned back to face the hole in space and time I was surprised. Stumbling back, I stared at the terrified face of Lloyd holding the Realm Crystal and the Sword of Sanctuary. He too stumbled back, but he fell into the portal and closed it behind him.

I breathed heavily, staring at the spot where Lloyd had been. His haircut was reminiscent of his childhood flat hair, with large bangs hiding his forehead. Lloyd had been just as terrified as he was when I had seen him last at the beach.

Steadying my breath to prevent hyperventilation, though I knew that breathing and other such functions were unnecessary to my existence, I calmed myself down. My thoughts however, still began to race.

How had Lloyd gained control of the Realm Crystal? When did the team figure it out? How long has it been since my death in Ninjago? What's been going on over there? Are they exploring? Are they planning to colonize? Is Garmadon still alive? Has Lloyd, or anyone else recovered at all? Is Vastu alright? Cyra?

Shuffling back, I continued to build with shaky claws. This was no laughing matter, since this meant a lot of conflict could rise up soon. While ghost society had been improved quite dramatically from when I got here, we have not had the time nor ability to create things such as a government or ruling body. To choose an ambassador or do something to negotiate peace with Ninjago would be extremely difficult.

Slowly, I ran out of materials and would have to wait again. I was no longer the nerd of my youth, but a builder. Yes, I still did my best to keep my knowledge safe, but I had begun to stray from academics and towards construction. Math and other such studies were not necessary in this world. No one practiced them, and not a single engineer had fallen into this realm.

Still, I had begun to teach the ghosts of the realm in my library occasionally. They were becoming English-literate at a slow pace, while I would leave translation books for anyone who wanted to learn another language.

However, this would only be so useful if the inhabitants of Ninjago sought to take over this realm. I had worked so hard to fight my internal emotions and improve this place for the better, to give it up now would be my end! How lucky I had been to put my emotions into art instead of forcing myself into a cycle of erasure and recreation, giving up to Ninjago would not be my last act!

So here began my game of preparation. I was going to hope for the best and prepare for the worst. I shot off towards my library and began reading up on everything that may have related to battle strategy and convincing others.

Most of my time was taken up by my research, and ghosts noticed my odd behavior. I had become a small celebrity of sorts, being the builder of the mighty amphitheater and all other little places around the Cursed Realm. Truly, I had gained a sense for building in this world. However, my constant reading caused the realm to become nervous. They knew I would not do anything other than build unless something bad was happening due to the coping properties of my building.

Eventually, Morro decided to check up on me thanks to the whispers of my odd activity. Admittedly, he was the closest person I had to a friend, as he would often linger around my build projects. Otherwise, we spoke very little to one another.

"You've been keeping your nose in a book for a long time… What's going on?" Morro spoke, pushing down my book slowly.

"It is of high concern, as recent events have led me to research the battle strategies and ways of convincing others from Earth. The event is… Classified as of late due to its disruptive nature in this realm." I sputtered out, trying to continue reading.

"What happened Myrana?" Morro ordered with concern. I hesitated, before whisking him off to the Remembrance Forest. I guided him down the pathways to the very back of it, where no names were carved and a thick fog still remained.

"The Green Ninja of Ninjago has the Realm Crystal. I am fearful of a forceful takeover by the inhabitants of Ninjago. The Cursed Realm is no longer as hostile as it used to be, but should it become unbalanced… Bad things will ripple across all sixteen realms. I also am a bit selfish… I wish to keep my buildings and keep everyone somewhat happy." I whispered at the end, slightly guilty of wanting my legacy to be better than death. Morro hummed, thinking hard on this as well.

"How would we defend ourselves? If they knew about our weakness to water, then we could be conquered in a matter of hours!" Morro hissed, and I ran a claw atop my solid hair.

"Exactly. I am hoping for peace and negotiation talks, so that I may buy us time to create a government of sorts, or just to let them leave us alone. Otherwise, I will need to have portals bring down weapons. Unfortunately, most Earthly weapons are deadly. Our relations would fall drastically, until we acquire the Realm Crystal and guard it. Then there would only be one way to get here, to be cursed." I explained, and Morro sighed.

"We should tell the others." Morro suggested, and I shook my head.

"The society I have helped to create is still too fragile to shake up. We have no governing body, no leader, nothing. Should the realm fall into chaos, there would be no hope for a fight against the people of Ninjago. And to drag the Preeminent to Ninjago would be a death trap. I may wish to die, but I know not everyone here feels the same. They are becoming happier, and to break up our fragile peace would mean nothing but trouble. I trust you on a small level because you are the only ghost around here that sticks around. But I do not know anyone else well enough to make that same call." I refused, and Morro nodded.

"So what are you exactly going to do if they manage to get their hands on you? Your mark means that you have to obey them." Morro pointed to the scar on my left shoulder. _Etkados_.

"What do you mean I have to obey them? Kai had only mentioned its meaning." I asked Morro, confused with his statement. _Etkados_ was the word showing off how worthless I am, as far as I knew it had no magical properties.

"You don't understand the after-effects of Solenade, do you?" Morro cautiously asked.

"There are after-effects? I only noticed that my pendant has a strange effect on the Cursed Realm bone to help carve. Other than that, I have noticed nothing." I spoke, my brows furrowing in concern.

"It's been that long, huh? Alright, long story short, that mark on your shoulder alongside your necklace forces you to obey whoever you harmed. Somehow it figures out who you wronged, though I'm not sure how." Morro began.

"DNA recognition…" I mumbled holding the vial turned pendant.

"Sure. But you can't get rid of the necklace, and if someone you wronged holds on to it, then you're practically on a leash. You can't run, nor can you remove the necklace from the holder. All of your deepest secrets exposed on a whim. Your mark is almost like a rune, helping to make this happen, while the necklace channels the energy. I know you have those portals too, but I'm not sure what those do if you were to go in without the necklace." Morro shrugged, and I began to pace the forest's path.

"I thank you for this information. Then I shall put my trust into you for passing down battle strategy. I'll give you a list of important books and information. You'll have to log everything else down yourself. Paper cannot be erased very easily, and if I gave you a map of the best tactical points, to have it stolen would be dangerous. Come back to the library with me and I'll write it all down for you, along with giving you a guide." I rushed out, and dragged Morro to the library at my top floating speed.

Quickly, I compiled the most important books and catalogued several important points on a piece of paper. I swiftly navigated the pages of the books, even shifting between several book aisles. After a short few minutes, I had a good sized list and grabbed a guide to reading for Morro. Handing it to him, I gave him a serious stare.

"Protect that. If anyone of Ninjago gets their hands on that, they might figure out how we might defend ourselves. If I get caught, you're next in line. Pass it down to someone you trust." I held his shoulders in place, and Morro nodded.

"Okay." He seriously replied, and I let go.

"I'm going to keep floating around, waiting for another portal. I've already read up on those myself. If anything goes wrong, take those books and head to the Forest. Head to the back, and move around every once in a while. Don't let them find you. If it comes down to battle, take charge and defend this realm as if it were your most beloved prize." I told him and began to float off.

"Good luck." Morro huffed, and I smiled. It was his version of an angsty goodbye. It was nice to know he was taking this seriously.

As I moved around the realm, other ghosts whispered in concern. They knew better than to interact with me while I was so focused on searching the realm. I scoured every platform and monument, before I ended up in Remembrance Forest. I was midway through, when I felt the portal open.

Out popped Zane, Cole and Kai. They held water balloons and I floated back sharply.

"Before you attempt battle, I give you the chance of negotiations first. I see no reason to fight, but should you aim first I will attack." I regally looked down at the group of three, and they looked between one another. Zane spoke up first.

"We shall accept your negotiations." He yelled to me, and I floated back down.

"The balance of realms thanks you. What brings you to our realm, guests?" I asked, and Cole was the one to reply.

"We came to see you. How did you survive?" He demanded, and I looked away.

"I had… Become a ghost. All Solenade are cursed." I awkwardly answered.

"There are more?" Kai bluntly replied, searching the area for other ghosts.

"You are in the Cursed Realm. Yes, there are other ghosts Kai. Most do not go back this far into the forest unless their name is here."

"I see no foliage, why name this place a forest?" Zane pointed out.

"Well, I was not the one to name this place. I only carved the names to keep myself out of a self-destructive cycle. Its full name is 'Remembrance Forest' due to the names I had carved individually. Even the prisoners of this realm have seen their names upon these spires."

"But why carve names? What gave you the idea to do so?" Zane asked and I frowned.

"Portals do not cease to open and close around me. When I had first arrived, I had floated around in a trance. I had no will to do anything, and I was unable to find anything to destroy myself with. A portal had opened, and a human from Earth had fallen through. I had hoped that… Nevermind. Long story short, I had built and carved a grave, and the ghosts of this realm found it to be a work of art. So I continued carving and put the names here thanks to their admiration of the grave." I sighed sadly.

"Would you give us a tour of your realm?" Cole suggested, and I felt my marking heat up slightly. It was a small order, but an order nonetheless.

"Yes. However, please refrain from provoking other ghosts. If they are bothering you, inform me and I'll do my best to fix the issue. And no asking people how they died, it is a personal question around here and I have no desire to deal with you causing a fight." I huffed and looked at the three. I would be able to carry them, but just barely.

"I'm afraid this forest is only on one platform. If you have any sort of device that can help you to fly, then please use it. I'd also suggest leaving behind the water balloons. I'm sure you understand the danger those pose to ghosts here." I squinted, and the three stared at me in confusion.

"This is a realm full of cursed ghosts. Did you expect that we'd have ground _everywhere_? We are standing on a floating piece of dirt with bone spikes sticking out of the ground, if you want the tour, it may be in your best interests to go back and return when you are fully prepared." I glanced at the three who stepped back into the still open portal.

"We'll come back in three days. Give us a tour or something then." Kai shrugged, and the portal closed.

"Thank goodness they're gone. I'll have to inform the realm about them, they'll attack mortals in an instant, I'm sure." I spoke to myself, darting beyond the bone spires and towards the library. I would first inform Morro, and then I would tell the realm about the development.

Speeding into the library, I found Morro trying his best to read one of the more complicated strategy books I had suggested. Immediately, he noticed my presence and looked at me with confusion at my panicked state.

"What happened? Did they show up?" Morro asked, and I nodded quickly.

"Yes, and in three days time I have to give them a tour of the realm." I admitted, and Morro shot up like a rocket.

"What!" He screeched, and I shook my head.

"It was a minor order, and it was three of the Ninja! I had to obey, no matter how small. I felt it in the marking, Morro! _I'm a slave to them!_ And I'm pretty sure they don't know that I am!" I sputtered, trying to get a sense of control.

"Now we _have_ to tell the realm about them, don't we?" Morro realized.

"Yep. Oh, how am I going to break this to them? That three of the people I knew in life are coming for a little tour?" I hissed to myself, and Morro put a hand on my shoulder.

"You'll figure it out. I'll go round up the ghosts, and you can give the news. It'll be alright."

"I- Thank you Morro. You're better than the villain I used to see." I smiled, and Morro turned away.

"Just get to the stupid amphitheater." He hissed, and I laughed. That's the awkward and childish ghost I knew.

Making my way to the amphitheater, other ghosts noticed my hurry and my direction. They knew there was to be an announcement and followed behind me. I paid no mind, if they wished to follow me, the more the better.

They eventually split up and headed towards the seats, and I headed down behind the doors to the sand field. I paced back and forth, listening to the outside slowly grow louder as more ghosts piled up into the amphitheater.

I thought about what I might say… What I might have to do to get their approval over the issue. While I had influence thanks to my creations, I doubted that they could help me win over the fact that several _mortals_ were coming into the realm for a _tour_!

Eventually, the outside was roaring, and I assumed at least most of the realm was here. Taking a deep artificial breath, I stepped out into the field, and the crowd quieted down from a deafening roar to a loud purr of voices. I was staring down almost the entire realm and I froze.

Oh god no.

I didn't realize there would be this much pressure! I kept glancing back and forth between the people as the purr returned to its original roar. I squeaked and stepped back when I saw Morro float down to me and put a hand on my shoulder.

"Sorry for her stage fright! It's her first time, but Myrana has a big announcement. Due to her anxiety, I'll speak for her." Morro shouted to the crowd, and I looked at him in admiration.

"Thank you." I whispered, and he nodded at me.

"There's been a recent development between realms! The people of Ninjago have found the Realm Crystal and have met up with Myrana. In three Ninjagian days, the people will arrive for a tour. Unfortunately, these people are also the very same who have put their blood in her necklace vial. If they figure out what they can do to her, we may have trouble. In general, these representatives are dangerous." Morro paused as the crowd roared.

"However! We are not here to start a fight. We protect this realm and queen, the Preeminent! She speaks to all of us, and in turn we speak to her. Should we force them to attack, or should we attack first, we put her in danger! So when the mortals arrive, we leave them alone and treat them with respect! You are only allowed to attack if they do so first, and _not_ just verbal prodding. Only with physical harm will it be legal to fight on the realm's behalf. This is a chance to reunite with Ninjago, to slowly integrate into their realm. They will be our guests, and we expect all of you to treat them well. Thank you for your time, and you are all free to talk amongst one another!" Morro finished his small speech and guided me out the amphitheater.

Once away from all the prying eyes, I crumpled to the ground and held my arms close around my midsection. I hyperventilated, but I knew I couldn't pass out, nor was breathing even necessary. Morro awkwardly put his hand on my shoulder in an attempt to calm me down.

Slowly over the course over what must have been almost half an hour, I calmed down enough to talk. I glanced at Morro in appreciation, letting go of myself.

"Thank you for speaking for me. I do not like to interact with large groups as of late. I suppose it's an aftereffect of one of my last living events." I sighed, thinking of the last time I was with a group over about fifteen.

I stabbed almost every single one of them.

Shaking my head, I stared back up at Morro. He let go of my shoulder and shuffled away. He was obviously uncomfortable, but still stuck around for me.

"It's okay Morro, you can go. I'll get better soon." I gave a bit of a forced smile. Morro shuffled again, before floating off. I sank back down into the mismatched stone, continuing to soothe my frazzled nerves.

Settling down into the stone, I felt an air of calmness surround me. It wasn't my normal feeling, and it felt slightly unnatural.

" _Hello._ " A newer voice spoke, a much more regal and finished tone than that of Euphony's

" _Hey! Only I'm allowed in Myrana's head_!" The more familiar tone of Euphony argued.

" _I am the Preeminent. I rule over every ghost here, you do not. I have the right to speak to her as I wish._ "

"It's alright Euphony… I think the Preeminent doesn't really have any other way to talk." I replied, and Euphony huffed.

" _I've been having my own identity crisis. Don't make Myrana any more stressed than she has to be_." Euphony sighed, before her voice faded. It had been the first time I had heard from her in a while, and I understood why. She succeeded in killing me, but I was still alive in my own right. It was as if you reached your goal, but somebody decided to stomp on it afterwards.

" _Well, I suppose I should thank you Myrana._ "

"Uh… Why?"

" _You did just single-handedly improve the morale of every ghost in this realm. You have given them education and provided them a reason to talk to one another. They're happy and have begun to go on their own. I don't get begged as often as I used to, for pain I cannot touch to be taken away._ "

"Wow, I didn't think I'd affect you too… I noticed that you give little light shows occasionally, but that was the only difference." I whistled out, and the Preeminent laughed.

" _Truly, your presence has affected me more than you think. I know you understand my previous intentions, but it was due to the sadness of my ghosts, my children, including you. It becomes too much to bear after so long. I only wanted to make my children happy, but you made all of us more joyful than before. We are all more at peace and ready to face other realms._ "

"But what about government? If you are the queen, then this is not a democracy. If I were to form a government here, I would prefer a democracy like the one I used to live under."

" _I understand. However, I'm afraid I do not believe that you are all educated enough about socializing with one another yet. I will remain queen, but I would not mind a record of accepted law_." The Preeminent softly refused, and I sighed.

"Alright, I'll see if I can get that done soon. It seems like the new neighborhood will have to be put on hold. Anyhow, do you know how long it has been in Ninjago? I'm afraid that I haven't been able to create a standard time for the realm." I asked, and the Preeminent hummed.

" _A few hours. Time over there passes much slower, but it is never a linear difference. Sometimes time passes faster, and at other times slower. Since you have arrived, it has been about four years in Ninjago since your formation._ " She informed me, and I blinked. I knew it had been a long time, but that was longer than it felt!

"So that makes me about nineteen years old… Yet, I never managed to get taller than a child minifigure! How disappointing, but I suppose I'm used to it. Now that I think about it, does anyone age once they're a ghost?" I wondered.

" _I'm afraid not. Age becomes less of a factor, while experience and mental maturity become much more important. Sadly, not every ghost who is a child has the capability of expanding on those two important features. Luckily, you do as I have seen from your building. It's a quite obvious coping mechanism with your past… Something to keep your mind off of the pain until you let someone in to help you. Making mistakes and learning from them is growth, and you've had your troubles along the way. You still have a long way to go, Myrana. But I'm sure that you will find someone to be there for you."_

"Thanks, I suppose? Interesting that age is sort of a fuzzy spot. Makes sense though, no way to tell time or age around here. You could be the oldest ghost around, but still have the youngest body."

" _Very true. It seems like you have some projects, I suppose!_ " The Preeminent laughed, and I smiled. I supposed I did have a lot to do. Perhaps getting over my stage fright would be one of them.

"I suppose I do! Thank you ma'am. Even if I'm afraid to talk to the whole realm, I feel fine to talk to the first queen I've ever met."

" _Stage fright is not the same as talking to an authority figure. I know you have a strong personality, and you'll figure everything out as you go. Farewell Myrana, I will be here whenever you may need_." She finished, and I gave my own goodbye.

Standing up, I felt a bit more energized and began to float to The Heart of Thought. While I was still terrible at playing the piano, others could play as if it were second nature, I chose to sit down and try to play it once more.

Even though I played with only singular keys and the pedal that made notes ring out longer, I enjoyed my attempts. After a short while of my awkward playing, Morro had floated down and waved.

"Hey Morro. What brings you here?" I asked, and he smirked.

"Came to find you. You're the only one around who tries and fails to play the piano like that." Morro laughed, and I rolled my eyes.

"Thanks for the confidence booster, Morro." I deadpanned but I still had a smile on my face.

"Always. So how much longer do you think we have left?" Morro asked seriously, and I frowned.

"Well, it's certainly more time than we think. It's only been a few hours in Ninjago, but time flux is obviously a bit wibbly wobbly between realms." I recalled the phrase, but I barely remembered where it was from. Only a shade of royal blue was associated with the tiny phrase.

"And that means?" Morro huffed.

"It means that an hour here doesn't always equal an hour in Ninjago. To them it could be a minute, or a day. It just goes back and forth, I suppose." I answered.

"Oh. I guess that makes sense, other realms and all that. Things don't always overlap." Morro spoke as he stood next to me at the piano. Blinking he pressed a key with the corner of his claw.

"How do you hit these things?" Morro angrily grunted, unable to hit more than one key at a time, just like me.

"Well, before I came to this universe, we had these wonderful little things called _fingers_. Five on each hand and some people could play the piano so well... It was like heaven. But luckily, this piano has a player in it, where if you put the paper through like so…" I adjusted the paper into the roller, and let it play. I stepped back, and Morro watched intently as the paper moved.

Morro yelped as the keys moved up and down on their own, and I laughed. Still, he started listening to the song.

"Don't worry about the keys, they're supposed to do that. But hear the amazing sounds, the one and only sound of the strings being hit in just the right way." I spoke, putting a hand on Morro's shoulder. He settled down and stood in awe of the piano being able to play itself.

I swayed to the beat of the piano, enjoying the majestic sounds it created. Ninjago may have had its own pianos, but they were nothing compared to this. How some ghosts managed to play it here in the Cursed Realm with only claws for hands, I would never know. However, every ghost who could actually play this piano often had very good relations with others.

As the song ended, I realized that I should get more of these papers. The music was always a wonderful thing and more songs meant more diversity here. Once again, I supposed I was making another list of things to do.

Turning back to face Morro, he looked as if that piano was heaven itself calling out to him. I waited for him to shake himself out of it, not wanting to ruin his moment of peace.

"I can't believe I didn't listen to this sooner." He whispered, afraid to touch the piano with the fear of breaking it.

"There's a lot of things you can miss out on if you don't go out and find it. People like this for a reason." I shrugged, and Morro sighed.

"What do you think is the best book in the library? I can't read too well yet, but I think I'd like to hear it." He requested, and I tilted my head.

"It really depends on your taste. Some people like adventure and romance, others like horror or nonfiction. But if you want a good book series, I think I have the Harry Potter books; all seven of them to be precise. I can grab them and read them to you here." I offered, and Morro nodded nonchalantly.

"Sure, whatever you think is best."

With his consent, I flew off towards the library and grabbed the first book. I had the American version with the 'Sorcerer's Stone' title. While I was unsure if he would like the book, I hoped he would at least figure out his type of book. Harry Potter was a great series, but there was still a lot to explore in the small and ever-expanding library.

Floating back to the Heart of Thought, I found Morro trying to play the piano like I did. However, he was using his element to press down more than one key at a time, almost like he had more than two hands. It seemed the strategy was working, as I heard several simple chords being played along the higher and lower keys of the piano.

"Didn't know that you could use wind to play the piano!" I called out, and Morro glanced at me.

"Yeah, seems pretty helpful considering the keys are tiny!" He replied, stepping away from the sleek black instrument.

"I've got the book. It's called 'Harry Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone.' It's about a kid who gets whisked off to wizard school, and other such plot. Do you think you'd want me to read it?" I spoke as I sat on the edge of the tiny stage with Morro.

"Sure, I guess." Morro shrugged, and sat down next to me. I began to read, but my mind strayed away from the book.

He reminded me of Lloyd, needing a companion due to the lack of good relationships. Unlike Lloyd, he didn't have a group of brightly colored Ninja to support him. Nor did he have to deal with my stubborn will to follow the timeline as best as possible. I had long given up, and the portals were all temporary. Suicide was also out of the question, thanks to the continued existence of the Cursed Realm. At this point, I chose to build things to make life better for those around me because I knew I had been a burden in life. In fact, I was such a burden the very heroes of Ninjago sent me off to die.

If only it would've worked. The thing about being erased however, is you didn't remember what went on. Being revived meant it felt like nothing happened between the time you were scratched away from existence to when your pitiful life was reborn.

Still, Morro would not have to deal with many of my flaws. I had no grudge against any ghost in this realm and no one constantly hated me; at least to my knowledge. He also never asked about Earth and was very careful should I reminisce about the topic.

Funnily enough, he was also the only ghost who really stuck around and occasionally talked to me. Just like Lloyd I suppose. The two were similar, no wonder he felt like he was destined to be the Green Ninja. Unfortunately, Morro never learned that it wasn't the color you wear that defines your potential to be good. He could've went out and helped the people just like him, needing someone to take them in or just give out help. However, Morro was like me. Obsessive and possessive. You had your few items and held onto them forever, unless somehow you snapped, like I did. Your goals would be your only purpose, but I botched those too.

How amusing that I would fail at everything I felt I was obligated to do, just like Morro. The universe truly planned for my life to be nothing but an existence of pain.

Deciding to focus on other things than my fiasco of a life, I glanced up at Morro quickly before continuing to read.

He was listening intently, a hand toying with a ball of wind. Truly, it was almost as if he couldn't stay still, a tick he couldn't get rid of. I wondered how precise he could direct the wind, if he could use sand or other bright and light pieces of material to create marionettes of sorts. He could make wonderful plays with his own actors to bring the creation to life.

Pushing my thoughts away from Morro's element, I pondered on what he might be thinking. He could be placing himself in Harry's shoes, an adopted child who ran from his parental figures, if I could stretch the idea that far. Perhaps he is trying to understand what's going on, unable to figure out exactly what cars and other such creations are on his own. Morro is quite stubborn and doesn't ask for help often.

Yes, what an interesting thought. How did Morro learn and get used to the modern world of Ninjago? I suspect it was due to possessing Lloyd and reading his memories, but I do not think that he will be doing that any time soon. Thinking of possession, could ghosts possess my buildings and objects? If so, why not go ahead and possess everything?

Unfortunately, I didn't have the courage nor time to go ask these questions. Considering ghosts didn't possess things around here, I couldn't assume anything nor would I understand if it were a taboo thing to ask about. Perhaps I could ask Morro later, when we weren't expecting several guests.

Speaking of those very guests, I felt and saw the portal open directly in front of us, and I stopped my reading. Morro stood up quickly, and I placed a small fold in the book as a bookmark. I didn't like doing so, since I knew it ruined the book corners, but I had to for this situation. Quickly, the three I had seen earlier stepped out, wearing boots with technology reminiscent of early season three.

* * *

 **If the ending seems awkward, that's because it is. When I write, I have transitions and timeskips marked with a line. However, when I wrote this part, there were over 10k words between timeskips/transitions. That's a lot of words for not being gone as long as I used to. (We all know how slow I am with updating but instead I put out big chunks of story per chapter.) So, I tried to chop it in half and call it good for now.**

 **Also, I'm wondering if I should cross-post this on Quotev. Yes, I have an account there, but I don't use it too often. However, I noticed that Quotev doesn't have as many high quality fics as does. Do you guys think that it would be a good idea to post to Quotev?**

 **Anyhow, I want to thank you guys for being so attentive to my story. Honestly, it's given me a lot of confidence in my writing and I feel proud of my work and that you can all enjoy it! Seriously, all of you are awesome! Wish I could give you all a medal. :)**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HAVE A GREAT DAY!**


	15. Chapter 15

**I'm working on book three now! So, you guys now get chapters once a week/as often as I can. Don't worry about the lack of action... Let's just say the Cursed Realm won't be around to protect Myrana forever.**

* * *

"Welcome back." I greeted them, and they stared at us awkwardly.

"Did we interrupt anything?" Zane inquired. I shrugged in response, the reading not being important enough to be of high concern.

"Nothing that would impede on our schedule. If you'd like Morro, you can try and continue reading on your own at the library." I spoke, handing the book back to Morro. He just took the book silently and floated away in a hurry. I decided not to question it, as there were other problems to deal with at the moment.

"Not very talkative is he?" Cole noted, and I shook my head.

"Depends on when you see him. He's not as scared to speak for others as you might think, but I'm afraid that he doesn't really like to socialize much in the first place." I answered, turning back to Zane, Kai, and Cole.

"Well, we've got hover boots. We left our water balloons behind, so I think we're ready for the tour you offered." Kai pointed out, but he didn't know that I did _not_ offer the tour. It was my marking that warned me to follow orders or face excruciating pain.

"Of course. I suppose I can start here, my second building. It's known as the Heart of Thought, a little place to hangout for parties or just walking around. Admittedly, most ghosts just call it 'Heart.' I have a bit of a strange way of naming things around here." I laughed in embarrassment. Philosophical names didn't always sound very good when it was a public place.

"Is that a piano? With paper inside of it?" Kai confusedly spoke, walking towards the graceful instrument.

"Yes. One of the most wonderous and striking instruments you'll hear around here. It's got more keys than your pianos, and the paper actually plays music. Sadly, I haven't collected any other rolls nor have I found any. I can only wait until one falls out of a portal by chance."

"The portals brought all this?" Cole asked, staring at the floor beneath him.

"It brings the materials and I build things with them. However, the more complicated items such as those instruments are already built and transported by the portals."

"Since when did you become an architect? I do not recall you having such a complicated job." Zane queried. Uncomfortably, I twitched slightly.

"It was more of a coping mechanism. Kind of just… Happened, I suppose. Not really something that I planned to become my life."

"I'll admit… There's a lot of detail put into this. I've never seen something so delicate." Kai noted, looking inside the large piano.

"Well, it does take a while to make these. I don't have any large construction tools, nor do I want any. I prefer to keep my building quieter than actual construction. There are only about three specific areas in the Cursed Realm I have built. My largest building is the amphitheater."

" _You_ built an _amphitheater_!" Cole sputtered amusingly.

"Time between realms shift. It's been a long time since I've seen you, but we don't have a definite way to tell time in here anyhow. Building the amphitheater could've taken months, or hundreds of years. I only know that I'm about nineteen years old, thanks to the Preeminent."

"Who's the Preeminent?" Said Zane.

"The queen of this realm, sort of. She technically _is_ the realm, and as far as I know can only speak to ghosts mentally. It'd be best if we save this topic for later, it'll make your head spin when you think about it too hard."

"Alright then. What else can you show us?" Cole spoke, training his focus away from the craftsmanship of the building. Kai looked disappointed, not wanting to leave the piano. Perhaps he had a soft spot for good craftsmanship.

"You can walk outside and see some sculptures, and then we can head off to the amphitheater. I don't think that anyone is holding anything there right now, but I can only really tell if there is a giant crowd screeching for their team to win. Wireless communication doesn't exist here." I answered, and the three walked out to look at them. I walked over to the edge of the platform, sitting down and waiting for the three to meet me.

It only took a short while, but when they came around I easily noticed their expressions of wonder. They looked as if it hurt them to leave the sculptures behind. How funny that their worst enemy would be the builder of the most beautiful things they would see in a long time.

"Are you ready?" I asked, and the three nodded. They activated their boots, a light blue glow appearing underneath them. I floated off the edge of the platform and the three Ninja followed behind me.

I checked behind me quite often, not wanting to lose the three somewhere in the Cursed Realm. I noticed other ghosts would stare unabashedly, but none made a move. At least they listened to Morro for me, thank goodness!

Of course, the three would chat between one another behind me as I guided them towards the amphitheater. Out of respect, I would do my best to not listen, but I'm sure they prepared for my listening anyways.

Occasionally I would pick up on their criticism of the entire realm being a dark green, but I ignored it. This was a realm of punishment after all, but it seemed that the inhabitants didn't want it to be. Kind of like being a villain, but never wanting to be one in the first place.

As the amphitheater came into view, any little whispers that may have been going on were silenced immediately. Glancing back, I checked to make sure the three didn't just stop and gape. Fortunately, they were still floating in my direction.

"Welcome to the amphitheater. The one and only sports hub for the realm." I introduced, slowing down to let the three look at it from above.

"Y-you… How?" Kai stuttered, just hanging in the air in complete astonishment. A twinge of pride rose up, and I smirked.

"A long time. I needed something to do, and that was what I tested myself to build. Turns out that platforms can hold pretty much any and everything around here." I replied, but silence still reigned supreme.

"Okay, I kind of need you conscious enough to follow me. I don't want to lose you around here." I tried to talk the three out of their awestruck stupor. Unfortunately, the three's faces still expressed nothing but shock.

"Seriously. I'm kind of worried for you three now. Are you okay?" I floated over, shaking Zane's shoulders. I breathed a sigh of relief when he blinked and looked at me wonder.

"You are truly an amazing architect." He replied, turning to face his friends.

"Kai, Cole. We should continue with the tour." Zane nudged his friends, successfully pulling them out of their little trance. They spoke a little longer, and I led them towards the stands. The stone was all mismatched but put into a pattern as best as possible. Some rocks were a gorgeous marble, while other spots were made of strange granite and other random materials. When it came down to a building this size, one couldn't be picky.

"This is the amphitheater. We hold sports every once in a while, but we don't have an organized plan yet. We just do games that go up to a certain amount of points." I noted, guiding them into the outer ring of the amphitheater. Stairs and little benches were spotted around the outside edge, with large arches showing the dark green of the outside.

"Once again, there really isn't too much yet. We don't exactly have sources of food yet, and there would be no way to make sustainable food anyhow. Hopefully I can figure out something in the future. This place has a long way to go before I can really call it 'thriving.'" I shrugged but Zane protested.

"You single-handedly made an entire building that would take years to build in Ninjago! You may have a bad history with us, but we cannot simply push away such amazing achievements." Zane spoke, shaking his head.

"Thanks, I suppose. I guess that saying of 'once you know you hit rock bottom, the only way is to go up' has a bit of merit." I shrugged, wandering the building for a short while before letting them have one more good look at the field.

"I guess this is what you can do when you care, huh?" Kai pointed out as we looked down at the amphitheater. A spark of anger flared, and I wanted to speak out against him, but I kept my voice at a diplomatic level.

"You know that I knew a possible timeline. I cared about the timeline so you all could grow as people and share experiences. It just took 'rock bottom' to get me to stop caring about the timeline and about making other's lives easier. Lucky you, my efforts may have just saved you two catastrophes." I huffed, and Kai looked confused.

"The Cursed Realm _isn't_ going to try and take over Ninjago like you said?"

"No Kai. I made people happy, so she was happy too. Truly, the Preeminent is like a mother who only wants best for her children, but just can't quite give them everything they want." A silence fell after my statement.

"Well, I guess we should head over to the library. It's still growing, and you can find books in languages other than English. Admittedly, I can't read them. I do have translation books for anyone who wants to read them though." I said, once again leading the Ninja to a spot in the realm. This time I would let them read for a little while, allowing them to take a break from being wowed.

The flight was a bit longer, as I wanted the quiet building to be farther away from the loud and boisterous amphitheater. More ghosts stared, but no one attacked. Truly, the ghosts must have seen the potential in being diplomatic.

About halfway there, I saw Morro fly up to me and ask how I was doing. I found it a bit odd but went with it anyways.

"I've been doing alright, they're quite wowed by the buildings in this realm. I hope to create a standard measurement of time so I can really grasp how long it's been." I answered.

"What would we measure time with? Not like we have too much anyhow." Morro huffed, and I thought hard about that.

"If I remember this random fact correctly, you can make clocks with electricity going through quartz and the pulses it gives off makes seconds or something. It depends on how long you want to make time, thanks to our practical immortality."

"Uh… Sure. I don't really know much about the modern world, so I'll take your word on it." Morro shrugged, and it confirmed my earlier thoughts. He didn't understand a lot of the things modern times deemed common and listening to me must have been hard thanks to my modern origin. I would've asked more, but I recalled the company behind me. Perhaps later I would get the chance.

"Hey, how have the others been? I'm sure it's quite strange for them to see mortals flying with hover boots." I laughed, and Morro scoffed.

"You've got no idea how popular those shoes are. Mortals in the Cursed realm? Bah, it's _nothing_ compared to the shoes they're wearing. Oh look at the boots this, boots that, glowing lights this and that! You get some comments about the metal one, but they just assume it's some sort of design choice." He ranted, and I giggled.

"Some things never change…" I spoke with mirth.

"What? Shoes a thing in your world too?" Morro snorted, and I nodded.

"Oh yeah. Big time. You had big companies like Nike and Adidas, converse shoes and other big brands. Nobody judged you too bad, just more or less joking around about the shoes and such." I admitted. Morro shuddered.

"I liked to wear green when I was younger. That was about the only thing I was even close to picky about. Never really cared if it fit, just had to work." Morro spoke, and I felt my smile fall a little. Morro didn't have a prosperous early youth.

"Ah, well. I'm still stuck in a fifteen-year-old body forever in only my underwear. Guess we both got the short end of the stick." I replied, and the library came into view.

"Welcome to the library! Ever growing and expanding, with what… Five languages now?"

"Something like that. You put flags for the languages." Morro shrugged, and I nodded.

"I do try to make them recognizable, it wouldn't be fun if you walked into the wrong part of the library if you wanted to read a book."

"Do you have ones in English? It is the only foreign language I can read." Zane piped up.

"Of course. I can get you some nonfiction, if you prefer." I offered.

"That would be appreciated."

We landed on the platform where the library sat, it was small in comparison to the actual size of the hunk of dirt. Considering the library would expand throughout the years, I made sure to give it a large place to expand on. Walking in under an arch, I introduced the little library.

Cole walked over to a book and opened it, trying to understand exactly _what_ it said. I knew he might struggle with books, so I began to think hard on whether we had comics or not. Once I realized we had some, I smiled.

"If you'd like more picture-based books, I can get you those instead." I proposed, and Cole frowned.

"Like kids books?"

"No, I can get you comics. They're more story intense and have less words. I think you'd like them better, but some of them you may have to read backwards." I shrugged.

"Why backwards? Don't you just read left to right?" Kai spoke up, and I shook my head.

"In English you read left to right. In other languages, you read in different directions. Earth was a big place you know." I answered. I floated off, grabbing Cole a Marvel comic. I hoped he would like it, but I wasn't sure if he'd appreciate the violence. I grabbed a space book for Zane, it was mainly text based and I knew he would like to learn. Speeding back, I handed the books to them, but Kai was the only one I didn't know which book to get.

"How good are you at reading?" I queried, and he shrugged.

"Still not great, but I can read some. I'll just find one to read on my own." He walked off, and I turned to Morro.

"Is there anything you'd like to do?"

"Can you teach me about the modern world? I'd like to keep track of what's going on in Ninjago without me." Morro sheepishly asked, and I nodded.

"Sure. I think we have a book that might help…" I shot off, trying to recall where the children's book may be. Finding it after a minute, I flew back to Morro, guiding him to a table in sight of the Ninja. I was still their chaperone of sorts, after all.

"It's small." Morro noted once I set it down.

"It's a picture book. Picture books aren't meant to be extremely long. Instead, I can use it to show you the modern world. Describing it would only sound like magic."

"Well, if Wu's new pupils are to be an example with their footwear…" Morro huffed.

"Huh. I'm surprised you recognized them. I guess ninja suits and elemental symbols kind of give them away, right?"

"Yeah. Besides, there isn't any other sensei that knows about being a ninja like Wu."

"We should talk about that later. Not exactly polite to talk about heavy pasts with guests."

"I guess. So what's that glowing upside down pear?" Morro pointed to a lightbulb. I smiled, how fun this would be to teach him about the world!

"That's a lightbulb. You can turn it on and off, and when it's on, it gives off light. It's powered by electricity. You'll find a lot of things are powered by electricity."

"What's electricity?"

"It's lightning, but super small scaled. Like when you shock yourself by touching someone! However, we control when it flows and how much."

"And how does that work?"

"Er, getting a bit further down science-lane, but I'll explain as best as possible. Electricity is when tiny electrons move, hence the name, and they move through some stuff better than others thanks to friction. When it tries to go through something that it has a hard time with, it gives off heat and light."

"No wonder you got the book. How about…" Morro scrolled through the book, "This!" He triumphantly pointed to a car.

"That's a car."

"What does it do?"

"It's like a wagon that pulls itself. They can be designed to go fast or hold a lot of stuff at once. Even the slower looking ones can still go at least fifty miles per hour."

"You're kidding."

"Nope."

"No one can go as fast as the wind but me!"

"Sorry to break it to you, we kind of figured out how to minimize air drag." Morro pouted for a while, sulking in the fact he was no longer the fastest guy around. I laughed in return, smiling wide as I blew his mind. Still, I remained as quiet as possible for the sake of being in a library.

"How? It can't be possible that you go faster than wind!"

"We take gas, burn it and it explodes, it makes energy and we use the energy to make the car go forward. Gas is pretty good at making things move…"

"So? You can't go against the wind!"

"We didn't just 'go against the wind', we made it ours. We can fly in planes and go off into space, there's been a lot of innovation since your last time in Ninjago."

"Prove it."

"You got it." I sped off, finding a documentary book with good pictures. Finding one, I brought it back and opened it in front of Morro.

"Since when could you paint this well?" Morro noted, and I paused. It really had been a long time, hadn't it? The picture book held more rough-looking sketches, and a non-glossy look. This new one was much more complicated, and no wonder Morro was confused.

"Technology. It's complicated but precise. I don't really remember how your print stuff though, just ink going through nozzles at a fast pace."

"Who would put ink through a nozzle? Wouldn't that just make a mess?"

"Not when your nozzle is as small as a needle."

"You can build that?" Morro blinked, his face confused and in awe.

"Yeah. Oh, how do I explain it… Ninjago had no industrial revolution that I can recall…" I thought hard for a moment, then figured out what might work.

"Remember electricity? Well, we can use electricity to make other things move too. Since electricity doesn't have human error and is much more precise, then we can build really cool things."

"All the things you keep describing really remind me of magic."

"I can imagine. Technology has changed a lot recently. Coming from a long time ago can be a bit hard."

"Agreed. Next thing you know you're going to tell me you don't have people deliver newspaper."

"No, I think Ninjago still has some newspaper, but you mostly look for news on your phone."

"What's a phone?"

"I think I've blown your mind enough today. If you think wind is fast... Information spreads faster than ever before. There's no longer any thing like 'getting ahead of the news.' The news spreads pretty much instantly."

"I'll take your word for it."

"I should find a history book and explain technology through that wen we have time. First, I'd like to finish Harry Potter with you. Then we can study a little bit more."

"Okay. I still have the book."

"I'll ask the Ninja if they want to keep reading or move on to Remembrance Forest and McKinley's memorial first."

"Fine." Morro sighed, unhappy with the possibility of leaving the library. I walked over to the Ninja, seeing them all lounging on some beanbags.

"Hello. Would you like to continue, or stay here in the library?" I asked, and Zane looked up.

"How many more monuments are there?"

"Only two. Unlike the previous areas, they're not buildings. We'll fly over a neighborhood, but we won't stop or look at it for too long. I built them to be private after all."

"I think we can stay a little longer. We'll let you know when we would like to leave."

"Hey, do you have more comics?" Cole smiled, and I pointed him towards the small section.

"If it's where the flag with the red dot on it is, read it backwards. If it's the flag with blue and stars in the top left and red stripes, read it normally."

"Thanks."

He walked off, going to find a comic to read. Turning away, I sat back down next to Morro.

"They'll tell us when they want to leave. So I can read a while." I spoke. Morro just handed me the book, not really talking. I shrugged it off and opened to the bookmark. I read quietly, only now did I notice Morro playing with a ball of wind in his lap. He made it more transparent than usual, likely not wanting the Ninja to know about it. Unfortunately, I'm sure that the three are doing more than reading.

Despite my doubts and suspicions, I read to Morro. He at least appeared to relax and enjoy listening to the book. As I read, I would occasionally glance at the Ninja. They would appear to be reading every time I peered up, but I knew they were probably listening to me. Zane read at a good pace, while the other two appeared to struggle.

Turning my attention back to Morro, I noted his own stares at the Ninja. He was likely seeing more signs than I was from their body language. However, I read on for a while. Morro didn't mind and neither did I, despite the company. It was nice to have companionship after my previous misdeeds.

Eventually, the three walked over and requested to go see the last two areas. I nodded, putting their books back and grabbing an actual bookmark from a table. Placing the small slip in the book, I gave it back to Morro. While he may have been from a different time, I was certain he knew what a bookmark was.

"We'll head off to Remembrance Forest first and pass over the neighborhood first." I informed the group, Morro leading alongside me.

"Sounds good. May we ask how you got to know him?" Kai asked, and I shrugged.

"I'm very unsocial. However, he would stick around my projects and watch me build stuff. He helped me get ghosts so I could write their names. Morro is a friend, and I trust him the most."

"Well, you were a confusing one when I met you. Most ghosts around here usually want revenge of some sorts, and we lost someone in life. Myrana was more of a regretful person for a long time." Morro piped up.

"Really?" Cole blurted out.

"Yeah. I'm unfortunately almost immortal. I suppose I was only half-successful in my last task in life. Once I realized that I couldn't die, I decided to make other's afterlives better. Serve others for eternity, because I was too afraid in life. I found something to do, I'll explain later when we get to see McKinley's memorial."

"That's an odd name." Kai noted.

"You'll understand when we get there. For now, let's just get to the forest." I sighed, not wanting to explain yet. Recalling what I had feared for a long time was not a pleasant thought. Instead, I had pushed it away with building. Methodical movements eased my thoughts, letting my mind become focused on the task at hand.

"Then may we speak about the Preeminent? I would like to know who she is." Zane questioned, and I hummed.

"The Preeminent is the queen of all ghosts. At the same time, she is the very realm you are flying in. Do not think that you are intruding on her, she has allowed you to stay. Otherwise, she would've alerted every ghost in this realm to fight you. The Preeminent is respectful and powerful. Treat her as you wish to be treated, or as best as you can since she is the realm. Of course, I understand that you may be a bit confused or disturbed. My best analogy for her is that she is a physical consciousness and lets us stay in her head as little voices. She loves us and only wishes the best for us all, despite being a monarch. The Preeminent is as much a person as the rest of us, just more regal I suppose."

"She's the realm? We're floating in someone?" Cole sputtered, and I shook my head in annoyance.

"Yes, she is the realm. Yes, you are technically floating through her. It does not bother the Preeminent, nor does she find it abnormal. If you are extremely creeped out, think about hugging a giant snow globe. The Preeminent hugs the snow globe and watches down on us. She can make light shows and tip it around, so things move and shift, but can't really interact too well other than whispering to the snow globe. Better?"

"Still creeped out." Kai huffed anxiously.

"It is the best way I can explain it. Whether she can speak to you and describe the situation more clearly is a mystery to me." As I finished my sentence, as soft whisper of 'I cannot' echoed through my head.

"It appears the forest is not far." Zane pointed to the creamy white of the bone spires in the distance.

"You remembered, convenient. I'll walk you through for a short while, and we'll head to McKinley's memorial."

The spires became more detailed as we flew closer, the white blob turning to a web of white and green. A few ghosts wandered the pathways, staring and admiring the names. They dispersed as we came near, rather wishing to watch from a distance.

"Welcome back to Remembrance Forest." I introduced while Morro stared at his name. He muttered a few things I didn't hear, and I paid no attention. Instead, I walked forwards at a slow pace and staring at the names I had carved in my past.

I wandered in a large circle, the Ninja following silently behind with the occasional point at intriguing names. They were once again in awe in the detail as I guided them. Eventually as the fog built up around the ground, I realized we were close to the end of the forest boundary. Unfortunately, this was the time the Ninja decided to demonstrate their authority over me unintentionally.

"Where's your name?" Zane asked.

"At the end."

"Can you show us your name?"

"I can, but I would prefer not to."

"Why?"

"Because I don't want to talk about it."

"Just show us the name, it can't be that hard." Kai huffed, and I felt my marking burn. Kai, you slimy little…

"Fine." I growled, moving towards my name as my marking cooled down in satisfaction. Morro speed-walked alongside me, understanding my anger.

"Sorry." He whispered, and I sighed softly.

"Not your fault or problem." I replied as I reached my name. The three Ninja had floated to keep up with me, and I seethed as I pointed to the insignificant carving.

"Why's it not so flowy? Everything else looks different." Cole spoke, noting the simplicity of my name.

"Because it deserves to be forgotten and rot for eternity."

"It is not the first time we have heard such comments." Zane sadly replied.

"I wholeheartedly agree with them if they are about me." Once I finished, I saw Zane's face fall.

"Lloyd said you'd agree. It is such a shame that such strong emotions and actions exist." He whispered.

"Why do you think I've wanted to kill myself for so long? Erase the last person in this entire universe who holds such violent mindsets, so I cannot spread it. Seems I had enough reason to live to resist it for too long. Lloyd really should've let me fall out that window, or perhaps you all shouldn't have taken me to the hospital. Oh well. Should've, would've, could've."

"We have yet to go to McKinley's memorial. Save the dark stuff for later." Morro whispered to me, and I took a deep artificial breath. I nodded slightly, soothing my frazzled thoughts.

"Our last area of interest in this realm is James McKinley's memorial. It was my first creation, and in honor of James McKinley." I shortly informed the Ninja. I saw the look on their faces where they thought they knew exactly why I was being so irritated, but they didn't know. None of them knew the effects of the marking Kai burned into my shoulder.

As we flew away from the forest, Morro would glance at me in concern. I would brush them off with shrugs, unwilling to let my anger show. At the same time, I felt a weight sink into my stomach.

'Serve others.' I had been serving this realm for a long time, building for who knows how long. I was hoping to forget my life, or at least leave it behind. If they figured out that I could be controlled… I would be unable to save the Cursed Realm should they attack. I knew this already, but it sank in on how I was truly exposed to danger with the Ninja or any elemental master around me.

Well, it wasn't really dangerous for me, just dangerous for everyone else in this realm. While I had no respect for myself, I at least didn't want to put others at risk here in this realm. It felt wrong to do what I had done in life, make everyone else suffer.

As we approached the memorial, I stopped and turned to face the Ninja.

"Before I let you look, I need you to understand why there is a pile of objects around the grave. However, do not touch them. You touch them, we're going to have a problem. Got it?" I hissed, and the Ninja glanced at each other in confusion. Together, they reluctantly nodded, and I sighed.

"Good. Now what that pile represents is a big deal. Here in the Cursed Realm, ghosts only get to keep the possessions they die with. Before I came around, they only had what was on their person. After I had built this memorial, ghosts felt moved enough to leave one of their possessions around McKinley's burial. It is the equivalent of leaving a family heirloom that is over a hundred years old. It's giving away a part of you, the last remnants of you and your time. You are free to look at the carvings, but do not touch the objects or the pile. It is just out of respect for our realm and McKinley's grave." As I finished speaking, they realized what I meant by 'memorial.' Expressions of shock and understanding crossed upon their faces, and I led them to the memorial.

Just like I instructed, they treated the memorial with respect. I watched them for a good minute, before turning to face the circle around McKinley's coffin-less grave. I stared with sadness, knowing I couldn't cry. Earth was dead, no doubt about it. Never again would there be a land called America or the Netherlands. No longer would there be Germany or South Africa. Egyptian history, the everlasting continents of Earth would never be seen again. Every living person on Earth was dead. Humanity reached its end by surprise. They always said humanity would go out with a bang, but it went out like a candle. Silently and quickly.

Morro had a hand on my shoulder, but he didn't understand the pain I felt. Lives just like his were snuffed out without a choice, without a chance for someone to take them in and help them understand that there is so much more in life. He didn't understand the undying pain of knowing you're the last of your kind, the last person who will ever know about the entire world you came from.

Yet, even with everything I knew I couldn't give him a true send-off. He was given no funeral, no family to say his life was a wonderous thing that deserves to be remembered. No religious figure to send him off into the afterlife he may have believed in. There was no song played to represent his life, his favorite things. He wasn't the only one, as there had to be billions beyond the portals. Billions of dead bodies floating around through a void, never to be given the proper respect.

"Your creations are marvelous, despite our pasts. We will depart now, we'll keep in contact. If you can help the Preeminent with communication, it would be greatly appreciated." Zane spoke, bringing out the Realm Crystal and opening a portal a short distance away from the memorial.

"Wait! When you get back… Tell Vastu I'm sorry. Tell him that I won't be coming back and that I'm so sorry I failed as a child." I cried out, and Kai nodded seriously.

The three left, and I sank to the ground. I was mentally exhausted, having to keep a close eye on the three and hope they didn't realize I'm a slave. A soft song echoed through my head, Euphony had returned.

"I won't stay, my life's purpose faded away. Myrana I sing for you, my last song ringing true. I've no reason to be, I'm sure you can see. I helped you in your last act, now my uselessness is fact. You'll find better, I know you're clever. Now you have a friend, one who'll last with you to the end. Your worries are best left with someone different, a person who's real and significant. Now you're free of the chains of time, all that's left is your new prime. Live and explore, find out more."

"Goodbye, Myrana."

I hugged myself as I felt her leave my thoughts. Today was just an exhausting and painful day.

"She left Morro. Euphony's gone. Everybody's gone."

Morro sat next to me, putting a hand on my shoulder confidently.

"I know."

I turned away, a face of anger starting to form.

"No, no you don't. Seven and a half billion people are dead, and I can't bury them all, and people of every age are dead! Do you want to see a dead baby? To carry them and know that pure innocence has been slaughtered by a void? I'm the last human of Earth! The only other thing that may have understood what I feel is gone, Morro!" I cried, curling away from Morro. Silence permeated the air for a short while before he spoke again.

"You're right. I don't understand. But may I at least support you?" Morro asked, turning me around to face him. I blinked, then launched myself at him so I could at least know someone else was there for me now.

He hugged me back, rubbing circles on my back. Morro muttered little sentences of encouragement, saying it'll be okay. I dry sobbed into his shoulder, realizing he could be a new true friend. Perhaps he could be like Lloyd once was, someone I could confide in. This time, I'd be Lloyd, needing someone I could talk to when everyone else was against me.

But now was not the time. Now, I needed to cry it all out and just push it all away. So I did.

I cried and cried, Morro continuing to hug me just as tight as I would. My sobs were quiet and soft, but each held the pain of a world's collapse. Occasionally I would mumble my self-hatred, my threats toward myself. But I knew none of them could come true, and Morro would tell me that I'm too valuable to do that.

Eventually, I let go. I still hated myself and what I had done, but there was nothing he could do about it.

"Are you better?" Morro asked.

"As better as I can be."

Morro shook his head and picked me up.

"What are you doing?" I yelped. He didn't answer, just flying at his top speed towards Heart. I held onto Morro tightly, knowing he was only doing his best to help me. As we got closer, he slowed down and walked into the empty area. Setting me down softly, he reset the paper roll in the piano, and let it play.

Sitting down next to me, he held me tightly and whispered his own words of comfort, experiences from when he was alive that I never saw. I sat in silence, letting him speak and try to comfort me. Unlike Lloyd, he saw my secretive signs behind my words. He noticed my pain, he's seen it before.

Leaning against him, I listened to his words and music, deciding that maybe this once I could be like Lloyd early in our relationship.

This time, I would just listen and let life move on.

* * *

 **Yeah it seems peaceful now, but don't you worry. Next chapter, we get some good 'ole action. Lloyd's changed a lot, you know?**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HAVE A GREAT DAY!**


	16. Chapter 16

**It's a bit of a wild ride this chapter! I think it does have a spot of an awkward transition, but that's just because I wrote it poorly. Anyhow, I hope you all like it, because I dare say that the next book will be a bit more Lloyd-centric. Don't worry, Myrana gets her own attention too!**

* * *

Eventually Morro and I split up, as I left to wait for more portals to show up so I could continue building. Occasionally, he'd fly by and wave with a book in his hand. Perhaps he was catching up on how to read.

Slowly, supplies built up and a pile of books was also made. One was a history book, and I protected that one. If Earth was dead, at least something could be learned from it's carcass. Perhaps it was violent and scary, but at least they would learn from Earth's failures.

Like me.

Shaking my head, I refocused on my work. Stone by stone, brick by brick was placed atop one another to create a structure. While I was no true expert, I could guesstimate when a building was stable enough to live in.

At least the buildings improved life for multiple ghosts. Some began to court one another, and those already in love would live together. Ghosts may have been infertile, but their care for one another was exemplary when you saw it.

However, I understood little about relationships between ghosts when they felt ready for more serious relationships. What I did know was that some things from life did not translate into the ghost world. Procreation was impossible and painful, due to the lack of fluids. This problem also stopped any form of mouth to mouth kissing, thanks to tongues being quite rough and uncomfortable when completely dry. Other small mouth to skin things were fine, but rarely practiced.

Whatever they did in replacement of life-exclusive actions was a mystery to me. While I studied the relationships between ghosts and how they were improving, I did not focus on how things changed. I only would notice whether they became friendlier to one another and speak aloud, rather than whispers and stares.

Still, I didn't care too much. I saw no reason to learn yet, as I had felt no romantic love for anyone in the Cursed Realm or in life. Most of my care was platonic, and my loyalty to strange things often caused a lot of problems. At least now I had screwed up the timeline so much that it didn't matter anymore. I was free of time, but now bound to my actions for time. Being immortal meant having a long, long reputation. My life was not as bright as my afterlife, but that could change at any moment.

For now, I was still the ghost people knew about, but also remembered not to talk to. They understood my inability to talk to a lot of people at once. My stage fright was a good example. Ghosts also very rarely called me by my name. Often times, I'd be referred to as the 'Solenade.' In my eyes, that was a good thing. I was being remembered as a builder, no name or any bit of my personal self attached.

Once I ran out of supplies again, I grabbed the few books that had fallen through and carried them to the library to sort them. Walking inside, I saw Morro reading a book. It was an electrical engineering book, one far beyond his reading level. Frowning, I set the books down on a desk and walked to him.

"Aren't you reading a bit above your level?"

"I'm trying to understand electricity. This was one of the few books that had the word 'electricity' in the title."

"I think that's a bit too complicated for you to read. It's an entire book about electrical engineering, there's a lot of math and other miscellaneous terms in there that takes a long time to learn."

"What else would you suggest? It's not like there are too many books around here that can explain it."

"How about… This new one I got. It has some history about machinery. I think this might answer some of your questions." I spoke, grabbing the textbook.

"Thanks." Morro took the book but pulled out a different one.

"Do you think you have some time? I've been waiting to see what Harry does next." Morro smiled. Another trait unlike Lloyd, and yet so similar. Morro knew what to do to get my mind off of life, while Lloyd would have done that for me if he could. Morro was more perceptive than him and recognized my deeper problems.

"Yeah. I can spare a while."

So I sat down next to him, and began to read. Once again, he made a little air ball to play with, something that kept a part of him moving. He listened with interest as I read aloud, hanging onto every word.

I read chapter after chapter, the words of J.K Rowling telling their tale of Harry Potter. Luckily for Morro, the book didn't have a lot of references to modern technology. It was all magic and spells, a world of mystical proportions. My mind wandered away from what I had lost, and towards the enthralling tale.

For just a while, the words upon the book's pages helped me escape the world around me. I would see the magical world unfold before my eyes, while Morro would react to every event with his own little version of wonder. Surprisingly, he didn't express his emotions other than anger and resentment very easily.

Eventually, I reached the end of the shorter book and closed the back of it. A smile was on my face, recalling the wonder of reading back on Earth. I had missed the joy it would bring when I read the right ones. At least Morro was here to listen and motivate me to read. Without him, I would've continued on building. Just doing nothing for my own health. Morro knew how to help in the small ways, and I appreciated that.

"So what's next?" Morro asked, the little ball of air dissipating.

"Well, the next book is Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets."

"Let's read it later. I want to go through the books slowly, enjoy them you know?"

"Yeah. How about I read the history book? It may be a bit of a shock, but I think if you can stick around knowing what I've done… You can probably handle it."

"I've got nothing better to do."

* * *

After reading a long time, Morro started to understand what machinery was and what it did, along with its consequences. Sort of, anyhow. He could recognize basic concepts, seeing how cogs and levers could create things when used correctly.

Then he tried to read on his own and did a good job at it. He was able to read basic books, well enough to read Harry Potter by himself. However, Morro found it easier to listen to me when I read.

Eventually, I began to rethink about the similarities and differences between Lloyd and Morro. I bounced the idea of whether I should talk about Lloyd back and forth before I turned to face Morro.

"I remember you desperately wanted to be the green ninja when you were younger. Do you want to know what the green ninja is like?" I mumbled, and Morro turned sharply.

"What are you implying?"

"I want to tell you how similar you two are. I want to say living life and loving is better than a life without love, but when you do what I do… Do you want people to face consequences that last forever? No no no… I just want you to know what it felt like for Lloyd to be the green ninja."

"Why? You want to see me crumble?" Morro hissed.

"No. I just… I just miss companionship. I'm so broken now that it's okay to have friends because now I don't care what happens next. I'm no longer afraid of whether the next villain will pop up tomorrow because I forgot to pick something up. I want to tell you how you're a good friend and how you remind me of one of the most important relationships in my life."

"Make it quick." Morro huffed, turning away angrily.

"You know, Lloyd was a lot like you in his youth. Had no parental figures, and the only one he looked up to was his villainous dad who he never saw. He was kicked out of school and set off to steal candy. It was likely he was hungry and alone on the streets. Eventually we met and out of care I decided to become his sister by bond. Every day I was afraid of the future, knowing that my life was nothing but a slave to the timeline at the cost of my friends.

"He cared for me so much. Lloyd stuck around despite my horrible flaws. Like you. Like you, he needed companionship. He was always someone who I could talk to, and he could talk to me. He defended me for a long time. Lloyd truly was the only one who knew more about me than anyone else.

"Morro, you remind me of him because you care. You care and you both have lonely pasts. Both of you were willing to talk to me when nobody else would in your own unique ways. I enjoy having you as a friend, and I really hope that we stay friends longer than how long I stayed siblings with Lloyd."

Morro sat in silence, eyes wide.

"Did he… Did he like being the green ninja?"

"He was afraid of being the green ninja. Fighting his father who became possessed by the Overlord was scary for him. Though I think that his bloodline and the benefits after the 'Final Battle' were very rewarding as well. But there was a lot of pressure included. In fact, none of us can really tell how old he is. He got hit with Tomorrow's tea. Whether he's eleven or twenty is still up for debate."

"Well, what do you think of me?"

"Hm?"

"I don't want to be compared to someone in your past. Tell me what you think of me."

"To me you're someone who recognizes my deeper problems. You care for me and understand how to take care of them. You're my only friend. I think you're someone who I can trust the most in this realm, who'll be there when I need you to. I feel like you're my student, and I look forward to teaching you about the modern world. Somehow, you're this ball of past resentment and anger and yet you still have the capacity to learn and become better than what you were. You let me lean on your shoulder when I have nowhere to go. You're my new emotional pillar. You've kept me going, whether you gave me ideas or just was there."

Morro was quiet again.

"You're my friend too, Myrana. Most people are too annoyed by me, or they think I'm stupid. Very few understand me or have a good understanding of my past. You're willing to teach me how to read, which I couldn't really do too well in the first place. Somehow you make me feel like I make a difference for once. It's why I wanted to be the green ninja, to be something more than a starving kid on the streets. I wanted to be the hero, so everyone would remember my name. Seems like that failed."

"We're both here now. So let's just enjoy companionship. I think we could both use it." I shrugged, facing Morro.

"I think so too. It's nice to have a friend in this place."

We sat together for a while, enjoying the fact that we were both here for one another. I started to consider Morro being a friend on the same level as a sibling. He really did influence my advancements in the afterlife, and he admitted I've helped him when it comes down to his self-esteem and sense of belonging.

For now, I still wasn't sure if I was ready to accept someone into my life again. Morro would remain the equivalent of a best friend until I thought myself ready. This time, I would wait before making a large decision like this. This time, I would be prepared to make such a commitment.

"I have things to do, Morro. I should get them done." I sighed, realizing I had more things to create.

"Can't it wait a while?"

"I wish it could. But a life of almost is a life of never."

"I'll watch over your progress."

"Wouldn't have it any other way." I replied, flying off to gather supplies and finish the house. Once I completed this building, I would build a central government area. I wanted to fulfill my promise to the Preeminent about a place to write down her accepted law until she felt ready to give away some of her power as queen. Like the 'Glorious Revolution' I had once seen in a book.

Again, Morro would occasionally fly by, and supplies slowly built up. Sometimes, I called out to Morro and had him deliver books to the library. Afterwards, he would read at least one book from the pile and tell me all about it while waiting for portals.

Truly, his reading was improving exponentially. However, Morro would warn me that I wait for portals a long time. The skips between actually receiving supplies and working were very large, and I still had yet to measure time in the realm.

Slowly, the building finished, and I proceeded to plan out the new building. It would be large and would be based on the Cursed Realm's natural formations. Of course, I wanted it to look non-threatening but powerful and graceful. That was not an easy task, mind you!

I made the building reminiscent of the Parliament building of the United Kingdom, a castle-like square structure. However, I kept it simplistic with bone spire-like columns around the entrances and Chinese-based roofing. Much like all of my buildings, large empty spaces acting as windows were placed all around. After all, there was no electricity or fire to make light.

In the center area that would've been a courtyard, I added large arches above the area and a web-like design above it made of thin stone rods. Light entered in and lit up the bookshelves I placed in preparation for legislation.

Carvings were placed all around the building, leading you to the center in a tale of dance and mystical wind. Unlike the amphitheater, I was very specific with my materials. All internal parts of the building were made of marble, while outside of it was made of any stone. Yet, each different stone was put into separate areas for their type and color. The outside was made of marble as well, giving off a clean white look with the occasional dark lines.

My largest challenge wasn't the building itself, but writing out the legislature once I was finished, was. Finding softer stone was a bit tough, since large amounts of it were a bit rarer, especially in flat plates I could use.

Morro would still come around, marveling at the building. I chose a simple name this time, sticking with 'Ghost Council Hall,' or just 'Ghost Hall.' It was something that described its purpose simply and effectively. Morro approved of the name and would watch as I carved out the laws.

Simply enough, the laws meant that ghosts were able to do whatever they wished as long as it didn't hurt another sentient being to an extreme point, or if the Preeminent explicitly ordered them not to. However, there was still room to amend things if enough ghosts fought for a change, and it explained how democracy might be formed should ghosts become sophisticated enough to rule.

The Preeminent was truly more open-minded than I thought. Her main goal was what all governments were meant to do. Protect their people, their rights, and provide big services that they couldn't do themselves. Yet, I was more or less the one who took care of that last bit. The Preeminent could interact with other realms if allowed to pass into one, but otherwise had no more power than moving around platforms and changing the atmosphere slightly.

Fortunately, she could also glance into other realms occasionally. When I couldn't tell the time between realms or what was going on, she would help me out and give me an answer. Not all the answers were good news, however. Apparently, Lloyd was researching ghosts and Vastu's shop declined after news of my Solenade. He still ran the shop but kept it local and small. Vastu had plenty of money to retire but handled it like I did. Make a lot of work for yourself so you don't have to deal with emotions.

Regrettably, Lloyd became obsessed about Solenade ghosts. Every day he got closer to discovering that I could be 'tamed' in a way. I did my best to stay out of Lloyd's personal business, because I knew he would flip out if he found I was able to watch him. His paranoia had grown over the years, becoming a lot like mine. Detachment and fear was layered beneath his actions, appearing innocent to others but not me. I would not destroy his already unstable mental condition.

My stuff and journals were all given to the Ninja, including the backup drive. Some things were put into locked files, others were kept accessible to the public if asked. No one asked of course, but it remained anyways. Everything from my homeworld was translated and put into one large room. Very rarely was it visited, but it was upkept. It was the hall of mistakes, what Ninjago should never put into practice.

Morro never really asked much about Ninjago. Rather, he found it more interesting to ask about my experiences in life. I didn't mind, and I would ask Morro about his time in the Cursed Realm. If he had done anything more than 'sulk and brood alone.' Surprisingly, he did have more experience than I thought.

He did have previous relationships, but they never seemed to work out. Morro was a very high maintenance person, he needed a lot of attention and care. His anger and resentment often drove others away, and he appeared to be independent. However, being alone made it grow and did nothing to help him.

I hadn't had a romantic relationship. I didn't know how to take care of another person, and my previous attempt at even the best of platonic relations didn't go well. Rather, I had decided that I should be more cautious with who I trust myself with, otherwise I might shatter someone else's life. It was for the good of those around me that I had very few friends.

Of course, I had decided this might be a good time to learn about ghosts and their relations with one another. It was probably the equivalent of asking about the 'birds and the bees' for ghosts, but I did warn Morro it was probably personal to ask and he said go ahead so…

Well, I asked what ghosts did in replacement of procreation, and Morro's aura brightened significantly. He sped off, not wanting to talk about it. It was quite abrupt, and I was shocked that he felt that embarrassed to talk about it. Personally, my parents were quite open about it before I fell into Ninjago, making it a topic that wasn't taboo or too particularly embarrassing.

Afterwards, I asked the Preeminent instead. She laughed, and said I'll figure it out eventually. I have a very sneaking suspicion she wants me to make a lot of mistakes, which I found annoying. However, I doubted she had someone as conversational as I about more normal-like topics. She would need some sort of entertainment of her own eventually, I supposed.

Mostly, nothing interesting happened. Fights were rare, instead sports were played to settle feuds. It was oddly surprising how pacifistic the ghosts had become over time, but I assumed it had to do with the idea that destroying anything beautiful was a very serious crime. I understood why, since this place has been empty of anything interesting for a very, very long time.

One day however, I was wandering Remembrance Forest. It had become one of my more favored places, due to the common silence and respect alongside it's open design. Morro was walking beside me, and we were discussing the precision of his powers.

"So if I gave you a handful of sand, could you make it float in any shape you want?"

"Yeah. I can make it move too."

"Alright… What if I gave you a bunch of sand in different colors mixed together? Could you separate them?"

"Not as easily, no. If the sands have different weights, then it's easier. Once they're separated, then I can move them around in sections without remixing them."

"Can you feel all of the sand?"

"Not really. I need a few grains to make a chunk to feel it, otherwise I have to watch it and guess whether the sand should be carried with stronger or weaker winds."

"If I gathered so-" I paused, feeling a portal. Turning back, Lloyd sprinted out of the portal and grabbed my necklace.

"LLOYD! GET OFF OF ME!" I screeched, and Morro blasted wind at him. But it was already too late, he had the necklace on and scrambled back into the portal. It closed behind him, but I already felt the strange effects of my markings.

"Myrana!" Morro shouted, trying to grab onto me.

"Protect the realm, Morro! I'll be okay!" I called back, my entire body deconstructing itself and teleporting me to Lloyd. I vaguely heard Morro shout for me again, but I could do nothing. The necklace was pretty much a leash I couldn't take off no matter how hard I tried.

I reformed, opening my eyes to a very angry looking Lloyd holding a dagger.

"You're going to do exactly as I say." He ordered, and I nodded. My marking was becoming warm, understanding someone held the necklace and became my… Keeper.

"First order, you don't say a word unless I allow you to. Got it?" I nodded once more.

"If anyone other than I tries to take this necklace off, you disregard anything and everything to stop them. You're not allowed to possess anything unless I tell you to or if I need you to fight. Unless I tell you to fight or order you to grab these, you're not allowed to touch pens, pencils, knives, things that are extremely sharp, or any other sort of weapon." Once again, I nodded in affirmation. It was my only way to speak at the moment.

"Turn invisible, we're returning the Realm Crystal before anyone knows it's gone." He spoke, and I felt myself shiver. I had never attempted to become invisible, despite it being a trait among all ghosts. I could also become intangible, but I had not practiced such skill. I suspected Lloyd would make me use it anyways.

Silently following Lloyd, I noted his hand always resting on the dagger. I focused on it a little harder, noting the dark color of it. Was that deepstone? The material that could harm ghosts?

I feared what he might do with it, but I doubted he would be so far gone as to induce torture. Lloyd was many things, but he was not one to be excessive in his punishments. Being his slave was likely already on the verge of his extreme. He would have a way to justify it for sure, but I doubted it was perfect. If anything, it was likely all about how I could be tamed and subdued for eternity.

At least that gave me some comfort, but my next problem was how I would get back to the Cursed Realm. I did not want to return to Ninjago. Returning would only mean that I would face the scrutiny of my actions a second time until I'm forgotten or trapped.

Hopping between buildings, Lloyd guided the way back to where the Destiny's Bounty was parked. Silently boarding the ship, he snuck inside. Luckily, he left the door open and I floated behind him. He continued on into the ship, moving slowly and carefully. The ship was still old and wooden, it was bound to creak if he made a single wrong step. Twisting and turning through the halls, he eventually reached a room with a glass case upon a pedestal.

Cautiously, he opened the glass case and placed the large crystal back inside. How there were no further measures to protect it were beyond me, but it was likely Lloyd knew every trick that was used to protect the crystal. Floating around the pedestal near the wall, I inspected its outside. I flinched once I noticed a wire in the floor, disguised as a splinter in the wood.

While I would rather not be discovered, I did not inform Lloyd of my discovery. If it gave me a chance of getting away from him and back to the Cursed Realm, then it was worth the risk. A small creak was heard as Lloyd stepped in the wrong place, and the door that was left open revealed the other four Ninja.

"Lloyd? What are you doing here?" Jay stepped forward, lowering his weapons alongside his friends.

"I got the Realm Crystal back from someone who stole it earlier today. Just luck we managed to meet up."

"I see you've gotten a new dagger. It appears to be deepstone, a very brittle material. What would cause you to get such a niche item?" Zane noted, much more suspicious of Lloyd.

"Heard it brings good luck. Kind of need that since it's been hard homeschooling myself. I never really got the education I needed when I was younger, you know?"

"I could get behind that." Kai smiled, much more enthusiastic about blacksmith work and metallic weapon craftsmanship. Zane appeared to be the only one realizing that Lloyd was hiding something. Kudos to him for being a great lie-spotter!

"Why be so silent then? Why not protect it yourself until tomorrow when you could meet us?"

"Because you were all asleep, and I didn't know where you'd head off to next. I'd think that it would be polite not to ruin your night."

"You could've just called us Lloyd, or sent a text! We would've come back for you if you needed to return the crystal." Cole sighed.

"Cole, Kai. Do you notice something familiar around Lloyd's neck?" Zane raised his weapons, ice softening the edges to be non-lethal.

"Wait a minute… You took that from Myrana!" Cole shouted, turning his scythe against Lloyd.

"Why were you in the Cursed Realm? They're their own nation, realm! We're supposed to negotiate talks with a representative next week!"

"I didn't go into the Cursed Realm!" Lloyd hissed, and I frowned. I may regret what I've done to Lloyd quite a bit, but my last wish is to be forgotten in Ninjago and bury my past. Now he has taken my free will. Eternal imprisonment was something I could get behind. I understood that.

Slavery and torture? Now that's saved for a select few, the very worst of all people I could recall. Only two or three people I knew by name could ever deserve something like that. Murder under a mind-bending influence that you didn't agree to? Well, that's just a bit unfair to me.

Floating to Zane, I brushed my hand against his arm. He faced me, and Lloyd knew exactly what I had done. Fortunately, he had to give verbal commands to control me. If he did, it would prove I was stuck with him. If he didn't, I still had the power to touch the other Ninja and prove I was here.

"Who's pushing against my arm then, Lloyd?" Zane hissed. I wrote my name out on his arm in English, I knew he could read it.

"Why is Myrana here, Lloyd? She doesn't want anything to do with us or our pasts." Zane steadied his shurikens. Jay jumped in fright, yelping and spinning his nunchucks. Lloyd frowned angrily and growled. He knew he was caught.

"Of course she doesn't want us around! Don't you know what she has to do now? Myrana, become visible." Lloyd ordered. I followed his command, being caught red handed next to Zane.

"WHAT THE HECK!" Jay screeched, flattening himself against the wall. I shook my head in sadness, unable to speak.

"Wait, Myrana's always been rebellious. What did you do?" Kai asked slowly, not sure if Lloyd was a new threat.

"She's a Solenade ghost. This vial right here lets me keep her on a leash and she has to follow my orders. Example, take Zane's shurikens, and give them to me." Lloyd commanded, and I stole Zane's shurikens faster than the nindroid could blink. I darted over to Lloyd, giving him the weapons carefully. Lloyd put them on his back, fading into paint on his clothing.

"And if she disobeys or somehow manages to break her curse, which is impossible, I have my defense." Lloyd patted his dagger. I cringed, knowing that it would only be karma if I were stabbed with that knife.

"Wait, so she's your slave?" Cole sputtered. I nodded sadly and pointed to the word burned into my skin.

"To be treated as property." Jay spoke aloud.

"Exactly. Apparently, being treated as property transitions over to the afterlife. If someone who put their blood in that vial remains alive, and carries this necklace, they can control whoever wronged them. I think I've been pretty wronged." Lloyd hissed, patting his bangs. I turned away, rubbing my hands together. I remembered that day quite clearly, despite my inability to control myself.

"Lloyd, slavery's been outlawed so long, people don't even remember it's been outlawed! You can't seriously be thinking about abusing her like that! We'd be no better than her!" Kai shouted, obviously having his own regrets.

"This is a chance to serve justice. She's obviously alive, so why not make her be productive?" Ha! If only Lloyd knew what I had been doing in the Cursed Realm.

"She built an entire amphitheater. There is no way she hasn't been productive! We don't even know how long it's been for her, it could've been hundreds of years or more!" Zane retorted. Thank you!

"Oh really? I'm sure that's dandy and all, but don't you remember what she's done! She murdered Clouse, and nearly killed me too!" Lloyd screeched, a hand rising to his neck. I flinched, because while I may have been under an influence, hurting Lloyd was never something I intrinsically wanted to do.

"We get that, especially me. But I don't stand for slavery. I'd rather let her just stay wherever she came from and never set foot again in Ninjago!" Jay sputtered, and I rose my hand in agreement.

"She's even a ghost, Lloyd. Myrana has no reason to stay in Ninjago, nor does she want to. Return her back to her realm and leave her alone." Zane advocated for me. I smiled sadly, how strange they were. I had murdered Clouse and yet all they wanted was just not to see me again.

"You don't get it, do you? She's a ghost. Myrana is immortal. You have no idea what she could do to everyone when we aren't looking! I'm protecting Ninjago whether you agree or not!" Lloyd shouted, raising his own weapons.

"And what good does it to keep her here?" Cole retorted.

"You forgive her?" Lloyd hissed.

"We do not forgive nor condone her actions. You've just forgotten her nature. Myrana has always attempted negotiations and peace before her attacks. Only civility is our weapon, and you have tossed that away. Now, you've given her a reason for war between realms! I doubt the Cursed Realm's monarch would appreciate an abduction and slavery of one of her subjects!" Zane cried out, desperately trying to stop Lloyd with words.

"Too bad, she no longer can use her words. I speak for her alone. And I'm going to make sure she pays for all the things she's done!" Lloyd jeered.

"Would you fight us to make that happen? Your friends, brothers?" Kai huffed, and Lloyd turned to him with a disturbing seriousness.

"I would." Lloyd seethed, and Zane stiffened.

"Then she really has changed you into what you hated." Zane murmured. I turned to face Lloyd with a concerned look. He'd changed so much… I couldn't predict what he was going to do next. This change wasn't good either, he had inherited my bad traits. Obsessiveness, apathy towards who you fight, violent ways… Mixed in with his skill and hate towards me was a recipe for pain.

"One last chance Lloyd, bring her back to the Cursed Realm or you have to fight us." Cole spoke, raising his weapon. Lloyd squinted and pointed his swords at Cole.

"Fight me."

With that, I floated back into the corner so I wouldn't hurt or slow anyone down. I couldn't possess or fight, so I would only be hurting my chances if I interfered. With four on one, Lloyd was struggling to fight, but was barely beating his friends. Zane fought with grace and speed, attempting to aim for Lloyd's head. Jay fought with speed but without the grace Zane had. His nunchucks would aim for Lloyd's feet, keeping him on his toes. Cole was slower, but his attacks were much more powerful than the others. Kai was reluctant to fight, his strikes few and far between. He mainly kept Lloyd from leaving, but it was easy to see that the others were getting their butts kicked.

Zane was often hit the most, Lloyd hitting his chest to get his panel to open. He recognized that Zane was the most durable of the group, and often hit him towards the wall. Jay was also hit often, due to his speed and refusal to let Lloyd get stable ground. Cole's attacks were dodged easily, with flips and twists in the air I had not seen Lloyd perform in the past. Luckily, Kai did his job well and only got hit occasionally.

Of course, my luck went south when Zane grabbed for the necklace and Lloyd glanced at me with a smirk unlike any I had ever seen upon his face. I felt my marking burn angrily, and I understood what I had to do.

Dashing towards Zane with speed unmatched, I punched him in the chest harder than Lloyd had, and his chest panel dented slightly. Surprisingly, I couldn't feel it. Perhaps that was a thing as a ghost, unable to truly feel the world around you like you did in life. I hung my head in shame, knowing that I was forced to defend the thing that took away my freedom. Zane aimed a punch for my face, and I swiftly flew behind him. A kick towards his side aimed true and knocked the Titanium Ninja down.

Springing back up, he ran back to Lloyd to try and take the necklace. Flinging myself at Zane, I pulled his arms back and pinned him down. I rubbed small circles on his wrists, trying to show that I was sorry.

"Get the necklace, and you gain control! If we keep Myrana distracted with all of us, we can grab it from Lloyd!" Zane shouted, and Lloyd growled. Suddenly, all three of the non-pinned Ninja were scrambling to grab the necklace, and I left Zane to stop them.

While Lloyd did tell me to stop them, he never said I had to be tactical with my attempts. I reached for Cole first, knowing his moves were slow and were not doing much against Lloyd in the first place. I kicked his wrists and neck, knowing no matter who you were, they would probably hurt. Joints are very good weak points. Eventually, I managed to hit the scythe out of Cole's hands and trip the Ninja of Earth. I kicked his side, rolling him over. I continued this a few more times until my mark felt satisfied. However, it still burned as it knew that there were two more Ninja to fight.

I aimed for Kai, hoping that his reluctance was not doing much in slowing down Lloyd, but I barely dodged his body as it was flung out the door by Lloyd. Jay was next but hit the wall opposite me instead. My scar cooled, but I still felt a small ache.

"Become invisible, let's go." Lloyd ordered, and my body followed his command. I floated behind him carefully, rubbing my hands together nervously. Unlike in the Cursed Realm, these hands have done only crime in Ninjago. I did not want to remain here, but I had sneaking suspicion that I would be here a long time. If I were forced to stay here, I would only be trapped as long as Lloyd is alive. However, that could be more than just an average eighty-year life. He's the grandson of Ninjago's God. Who knows how long he'll live?

We returned to where Lloyd had pulled me out of the Cursed Realm, and he started packing frantically.

"Touch nothing!" Lloyd commanded, and I floated towards the ceiling. I stayed out of his way, careful to watch his hand hovering over the deepstone dagger. This was worrying for me. While it had been a long time since I had seen Lloyd, I never would've thought that he would become this obsessive and paranoid. My presence and last act had more of an effect on him than I had thought.

"Follow me to the roof." And so I followed, Lloyd taking the stairs. It was odd, but I didn't question it. Once we were on top, Lloyd pulled out a vehicle I couldn't recognize, but it looked like a modified version of something Nya might've made. There was a red and gold theme on the sleek jet, but there was a spot where it looked like something was pulled out and welded back into place. It reminded me of the jet Jay had in season one with his golden weapon, yet it was one solid piece and had more of a streamline look.

"Sit in the back, buckle up and don't press any buttons." Of course, I followed his commands. Silently floating into the seat behind Lloyd, I placed the seatbelt in it's place. Lloyd managed to get his suitcase into the front of the jet and sat in the driver's seat. The jet's rockets started up, lifting us into the air slowly.

Soon, we were speeding through the air, away from whatever building we were in. Lloyd swiftly guided the ship between the skyscrapers of New Ninjago City, and I knew there was probably a look of determination on his face. However, this wasn't the Lloyd I knew. This was a changed man, one untrusting of the world around him and cruel to those around him.

Yet, I didn't know how I was going to get out of this situation. Morro couldn't leave the Cursed Realm, and… Wait.

He could! If the Ninja managed to enlist his help… Since Lloyd was intent on removing the jewel without being noticed… Yes! Lloyd was smart now, but he had obviously not learned how to prepare for the future just yet. Lloyd must've planned for the crystal to be removed without notice and returned without notice as well. Since he got caught putting it back, he left it there and ran off without it!

That meant the Ninja could get to the Cursed Realm and get reinforcements! Lloyd was too strong on his own, and with me on his side this could get bad. The people wouldn't fight against Lloyd, who could easily lie and now learned how to. Besides, if they managed to get Morro, he'd know how to fight Lloyd. The Ninja were not as experienced as Morro, nor did they have a million people to distract me.

Yes… I could plan this. If I could write a letter in secret and find the mailman… Ha! It may require some testing, yes… But I can do this. I've got a chance!

For now… I'd need to be very careful and inconspicuous about my new plan. Whether the Ninja already noticed Lloyd left the crystal or not was a gamble. I would wait about a month before deciding to send a letter and create plans. Whatever Lloyd asks of me will be my job until I figure out a deadline. I'd also need to make sure that I had a plan B.

Staring out the front of the jet, I began thinking, and thinking hard about how I was going to do this.

I had a plan, and that's all I need for a spark of hope.

* * *

 **Now you see what I mean... Lloyd's got this need-hate relationship with Myrana now. He can't kill her, and constantly wants her to pay for the things she's done. Of course... With that unhealthy obsession, he'll pick up a few traits... Violence and pain are now options. Huge punishment, but options. In fact, I had to cut a scene in the next book, where he was clever enough to make Myrana bring forth punishment. I deemed it M rated, since it _was_ detailed torture, and made Lloyd do something and pushed it forwards as more high-T at the most. Unfortunately, I made Myrana good at distracting herself from pain, which is kind of OOC compared to another scene yet to be posted. But, I can come up with a crappy excuse for it, I guess. **

**Also, if any of you have the guts to read the deleted scene, just ask me and I can send it to you. Despite being M, I'm kind of proud of it. Just know the risks...**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HAVE A GREAT DAY!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Been getting busy with finals and other home stuff. Also, I chopped this in half again because it would be 8k otherwise, and that's a lot. So, enjoy this edgy chapter. Beware, Lloyd is taking some spooky spooky stuff so that's why he's so aggressive. TheKittenQueen: There are only about one or two chapters left, since there is about 8k words left after this. It depends on how the writing flows whether I post one more chapter or two.**

* * *

When we landed, I was surprised to find that Lloyd had built his own shelter, albeit much more sophisticated than mine. It was more like a home and was located in a flat plain region. I wasn't sure why Lloyd would pick such a large and obvious area, but I didn't complain. Anything that gave me an edge was important.

"I've got plans for you Myrana. I won't be like you, I won't hurt you. But I'm going to make you work. You're going to work until your debt is repaid. And trust me… That's going to be a very, very long time." Lloyd threatened, and I frowned.

Work, huh? I could use that. I could easily do work. Had Lloyd's mind gone so far that he has forgotten my nature, my way of life? My world was always filled with work. Be it for myself or for Vastu. My time in the Cursed Realm had no effect on that, work got me doing something that I could focus my efforts and thoughts on.

Lloyd had really been affected by the incident at Chen's castle. There was something really wrong and having me in close quarters was not going to help him, that's for sure. He needed a psychiatrist, but they didn't exist here in Ninjago. Most of my knowledge was from one book. Dale Carnegie's 'How to Win Friends and Influence People.' Quite an interesting read, but I feared I had no way to speak and attempt to get on his good side. Smiling may only aggravate him, but I could put a few tricks into my work.

Slowly, Lloyd unpacked into the shelter. His shoulders were slumped as if he held a great weight, and I was careful to watch him. This wasn't just for my own safety, but his. I feared he might be doing something to try and rid himself of the pain, I just didn't know what yet.

He took out random clothes, some toiletries and other standard packing items. Obviously, he spent more time here than he did in the small room in New Ninjago City. That's when I noticed him pulling out something that I hadn't seen around Ninjago. It was a small orange container with a white label and cap. I knew exactly what that was.

Lloyd was taking something… And it obviously wasn't helping him like it should be. I squinted angrily at the small cylindrical container. Earth knew very well what those things could do to you if used incorrectly. In fact, an unregulated pill made incorrectly or is too pure could kill you. Something smaller than an infant's thumb could end your life.

Personally, I had no qualms with medications. If used in the right way and in moderation, they can be lifesaving and help you with whatever condition you might have. Sometimes, those pills can help keep you alive and conscious enough to not hurt others. It didn't even have to be a pill! Things like Asthma or other respiratory problems needed to be treated with medication. But medication is something you use because you need it, not because of what it can give you emotionally when you want it.

Lloyd was obviously oblivious to the reality of using medication. Ninjago's most complicated surgery was on me, and that was a puncture wound in my lung. Garmadon had once spoken of psychiatrists being non-existent. Whatever Lloyd may be taking, it may not be prescribed or even legal! This was something that was changing his mental state, and how he copes with life!

This tossed something new into the equation. I may have let Lloyd suffer in life, but today I was going to stop him from letting that suffering stick around. Getting him off those would take time, a lot of time. A lot of help too, I'd have to wait for rescue, someone needed it more than I did.

New plans started to form in my mind… I'd have to mail a letter to the Ninja not to just yell at Lloyd, but to understand that he's going through something. Lloyd was struggling with the incident more than they could've ever thought, even taking something that I wasn't sure was safe.

First, I'd need to ask him about it somehow. I needed to make sure that what he was taking was regulated at least. Unregulated pills were much more dangerous, because who would you trust more? The old guy with a cheap maker in his garage, or the 'big wigs' with threats of imprisonment and total shutdown if they screw up. Take your pick. Hopefully Lloyd chose wisely.

Floating up to him slowly, I waited until he would notice me. Of course, he made a particularly strong effort to ignore me. However, my resolve was fixated on asking him about whatever he was taking. Huffing silently, I poked him on the shoulder. Lloyd shot up, turning to face me with a death glare.

Giving back a glare just as extreme, I tried to charade the container.

"What are you trying to say?" Lloyd asked, and I rolled my eyes. I put a hand to my neck, and Lloyd growled.

"Ask your question with your words this once." Lloyd allowed and took a deep breath.

"Are those pills from a pharmacy or a dealer?" I demanded, and Lloyd held his dagger tightly, yet not taking it from its small sheath.

"None of your business." Lloyd snarled, and proceeded to walk into another room and closed the door.

While I knew that was likely my answer, his moment of anger and hiding in his room was another opportunity. Gliding away from the room, I began to test how far I could go before teleporting back into range.

Well, teleportation was what I was hoping for. At about what I assumed to be thirty feet, I hit some sort of barrier. My scar would burn angrily, and touching it only made the pain worse. Once I left the edge, it would immediately cool, but an ache would remain, reminding me not to go past the barrier. I had free reign of pretty much anywhere in the small shelter. So, now I planned to find paper and something to write with. Of course, I had to hope really, really, really hard that I could find something that could write with that didn't fall under the category of 'pen' or 'pencil.'

Unless Lloyd magically had a quill and ink, I needed to figure out a way to write, and write efficiently. Touching liquid was out of the question, I hadn't touched any yet, but I could easily bet it would be just as painful as my scar. Perhaps it could even be more painful, and I didn't know yet.

I began to think on eating utensils I could use, and what I could mix to make ink. If I was careful, I could mix food coloring and perhaps corn syrup? Maybe? If I could make a dark enough mix, I could make a letter.

Next problem was getting the mailman. I doubted that he came around, and if he did Lloyd would watch me carefully. This was a tricky situation. Besides, how would I explain where I am in the first place? There's nothing here! 'Oh, I'm at Lloyd's little shelter in the middle of nowhere, and it's nothing but flat grassy plain!' Yeah, that would surely go well…

Perhaps I could use a phone. Lloyd had to have one, right? If I could get onto Ninjago's equivalent of google maps and take a screenshot, I could text it to the Ninja and get them over here. It was much riskier though, since it would be hard to get and or find Lloyd's cell phone in the first place. Maybe he was smart enough to get a burn phone, he managed to research me and what can control me.

Still, one call and tracing it could make all the difference. But Lloyd needed help more than I did. He had life, he was still so young. I wasn't about to let Ninjago's hero live a life of pills and cruelty.

Stalking around the few rooms the shelter had, I scrambled to find any sort of phone. Opening and closing cabinets, I desperately searched for anything to communicate with the outside world. I looked everywhere, even in the strangest of places!

Alas, my search was fruitless and all I was left with was a sense of defeat. Thanks to Lloyd, I couldn't even talk about my issues, not even to myself! I huffed silently, settling down in a chair. My plans would have to wait until Lloyd was asleep. Right now, if I wanted to move around here silently, intangibility was a must.

Ghosts had the ability to completely ignore any solid if they wanted to. I knew it was possible, and it seemed in the show they did it quite often. However, my problem was I didn't know how to activate it. Invisibility was also a subject I was not experienced on. Following Lloyd's orders was the only way I knew how to use it. That was a weakness, as invisibility may let Lloyd have doubts before actually asking if it was me.

Alongside these problems, I knew I didn't have much time before Lloyd would give me a job and I would have no time to enact my own plans. Tonight was likely my last before being filled up with new orders. Assuming I had about seven hours, practice and observation was key. Every little movement would have to be documented in my mind, allowing nothing to slip past my radar. I doubted that I would succeed, though.

With that doubt, I turned it into personal motivation. If I cannot succeed in catching Lloyd's every move, then I shall do the same to him. I will practice and focus all of my mental energy into understanding how this ghost body worked, no matter how long it should take!

Resolve flowed throughout me, my will not yet broken. I may have done unspeakable crimes, but I will not let myself be remembered and enslaved. Instead, my life can and will be forgotten. My legacy will remain in the Cursed Realm, where I had few friends and fewer memories.

Taking a deep breath, I began to test my invisibility. Lloyd's orders were one thing, to control it all by myself was another. Initiating the effect was something I didn't know how to do. Starting simple, I imagined my body blending with the light around me, letting it passively travel through me.

Finding a reflective surface, I was disappointed to find it failed. However, I knew this was not going to be easy. None of this was going to be easy! But, I've got eternity. I've got the rest of time to understand how I work, and how I can cheat the universe's rules.

Once again, I thought about invisibility being a more abstract concept. Scientific reasoning was not something I could apply to this world. Instead, I tried to feel my inner body, every move I made and how I floated. Searching for something similar to what I had taught Lloyd long ago, I hoped to find a center of energy. Maybe there was a sort of core to my powers, but I couldn't be sure. This was all brand new, and I had no one to teach me how to control everything.

Glancing back at the small mirror, I saw I still had a reflection. Growling, I began to ponder the difference between how I felt before and the chakra-like ideas I knew of. When I had turned invisible for Lloyd, it was a function that my whole body participated in. I compared it to almost being cold or chilly. How could I make myself experience that again?

Thinking cold thoughts, I tried my best to imagine light being colder than I previously imagined. I pictured it as a frost that would cover and hide me, and I felt a tiny something.

Staring back at the tiny mirror, I realized that Lloyd was right behind me, eyes closed and all. Stiffening, I waited for him to leave. My breath stopped, and I listened to Lloyd's slow breathing. Sliding away slowly, I tried to move out of his way.

"Stop." I heard him clearly mumble. Even in his sleep, I had to obey him.

"Stop." He mumbled a bit stronger, a hand twitching. Considering I had already followed that command, I remained in my position.

"Get away from me." Once again, Lloyd ordered me. I shuffled away quickly, but even with me being in a different room, he still started to whimper. Slowly, his whimpers faded, but my scar started burning extremely hot as I felt the barrier. Where had Lloyd gone?

Unfortunately, I was forced to stay within the limit and followed the edges to find which direction Lloyd was going. Finding a window, I noticed it's open state and panicked. Darting through it, I paused as I saw Lloyd sleepwalking away. He stumbled and held out his deepstone dagger, making this much harder for me. Huffing, I tried to find a loophole to his order, something I could do to get him to wake up before he gets angry at me for not doing so.

Realizing, he never said how long I had to stay away from him, I darted to his form. However, he turned around and sliced at me, hearing me coming. Was he really this defensive in his sleep? I narrowly dodged the dagger, fearful of what would happen if I didn't have my necklace on. Frowning, I picked up a chunk of dirt. If I threw this at him, maybe he'd wake up! A bit dirty yes… But at least he would not have wandered out and gotten himself killed. Those pills he was taking was bad enough, I would not let him die on my watch!

Aiming, I threw it and Lloyd easily dodged it. Throwing more and more dirt, I tried to get him to wake up. Nothing was working, as he just dodged it lazily. I hissed, angry that he was slowly moving away from the shelter. Taking dirt, I tried to get closer and hit him with it from point blank range.

That ended up in Lloyd swiping at me, and I could tell that despite the fact he was sleeping, his body was well aware of what was going on. Somehow, he was in survival mode while not even being conscious of it!

After many attempts, I realized that Lloyd was continuing to move away from the shelter. All I was doing was slowing him down! Likely, the only way to get him to wake up would be to hit him. He'd know that I was trying to wake him up, or his body would freak out bad enough to shock him awake. Unfortunately, I had to get close. Every previous attempt had ended in failure, and I feared that there was only one solution at this point.

I would have to hit him straight on, regardless of getting pierced with the knife.

Ha! My first night and I'm already risking my own afterlife for Lloyd, despite our history. Call it an experiment, but I wasn't sure what would happen if Lloyd hit me with that dagger. Chances are, he was going to. After that, I'd need to worry about Lloyd's own psyche. Whether he would be able to handle stabbing someone like I did was a problem in of itself.

But I didn't have time. Lloyd was starting to pick up the pace and this was my last resort. To prevent him from leaving, I dived at him as fast as I could.

If I'm stuck here, you might as well be too!

The dagger moved in turn, striking right through my midsection. I froze, the pain spreading throughout my body in waves, as if it were trying to destabilize my very form. Moving felt impossible and all I wanted to do was get off this dagger! I squirmed, hitting Lloyd on the arm desperately to get myself off of the cursed item. The pain was excruciating, and I vaguely felt a part of my mind wondering if this was how Lloyd felt.

"WHAT THE-" Lloyd screeched, pulling the dagger out with tremendous speed. Flopping to the ground, I hyperventilated as I held my new wound. It wasn't even bleeding, but it looked like a small hole imprinted into my skin. This wasn't just skin pain, it was an actual hole into my lego body.

AND IT HURT AS IF I GOT HIT WITH LAVA!

Curling up, I continued to hyperventilate, waiting for the pain to fade. Now that Lloyd was awake, I could care less about him. He sleepwalked and I got myself stabbed for him, so he could just flip off right now.

THIS IS EXTRAORDINARILY PAINFUL.

AND I CAN'T PASS OUT.

Lloyd touched me, and I hissed, but dared not move. My wound hurt too much to do so. The hand darted away, and I relaxed slightly.

Glancing down at the excruciatingly agonizing wound, I noticed it was slowly healing. At this rate, it would be finished healing within the next hour. I don't want to be in this pain for an hour!

Something touched me again, and I hissed again, unable to use my voice.

"Let me see it." Lloyd's tired voice rang out, and reluctantly my body moved to his command. I frowned angrily, flinching as my wound continued to shower me in waves of suffering. Tearing my hands away from the hole, Lloyd stared at the wound he had inflicted.

"Use your words and explain what happened." And I screeched for a second, trying to express my pain. Then I relaxed slightly, glancing at my injury.

"You were sleepwalking. For some reason you were leaving the shelter. I don't want you to die out here, I've made you suffer enough already. Alongside that, I was forced to follow you because of the barrier, and I attempted to wake you up in multiple ways. Unfortunately, my last resort was to dive at you, and risk getting stabbed. Of course, since you're a Ninja and you've trained since forever, I got stabbed. THIS HURTS SO BA-" I was cut off, my order fulfilled. I returned to my quick breathing, hoping the artificial inhales and exhales would distract me.

Lloyd began to mumble to himself, his head shaking slightly. The dagger that had become so well acquainted with my midsection was sheathed, and I felt comfortable enough to curl into my wound again. The slow healing was _unbearable_. No matter how much I wanted the _STUPID PAIN_ to go away, and stop feeling the ripples of agony, I could not. As a ghost, I was forced to sit through this torture!

"Float and get back to the shelter, and rest on the couch until you heal." Lloyd ordered in agitation, somehow angry at himself. While I was SUFFERING THROUGH TORMENT, I tried to listen to Lloyd's panicked ramblings before I managed to float off of the ground.

"… Those pills were supposed to keep me asleep… Haven't sleepwalked in four years… Not meant to hurt her… Guess I'll give up on that..." I heard as I flew away slowly, eventually reaching where the barrier would be. I placed my hand against it, and my scar started to burn as punishment. I hissed, floating away from the invisible wall slightly. I glanced back at Lloyd, and he frowned.

"Right. The barrier. Forgot about that. You're allowed outside of the barrier until I get back to the shelter." Lloyd huffed, and I resumed following his previous command. Finding the barrier really was gone, I pushed forwards at a medium pace, careful not to stretch my AGONIZINGLY PAINFUL wound.

Reaching the window, I floated back inside and immediately nestled into the couch cushions. It was a small comfort against the harsh AND INSUFFERABLE hole in my midsection. I stared at it, wondering if you could see the hole through my semi-transparent body. Anything to get my mind off of it.

I began to think about whether I'd ever figure out to master the ghost powers I knew every ghost had. They would be extremely useful, and despite my 'Achilles Heel' of a necklace, the powers could become a powerful asset. Being human and without any sort of powers in life other than massive bluffing skills, this could become a new advantage to my goals. I could finally be forgotten in history, or at least no one would ever have to suffer by being around me again in Ninjago.

Of course, I began to wonder if I'd master them at all. The energies of Ninjago and any sort of magic that didn't exist on Earth had weird and wonky effects on my physical and mental state. Pure energies, such as Dark Matter and Golden Power were more physical yet had that glimmer of mental manipulation. Dark Magic… Willpower that I never want to feel again.

Being a ghost? Obviously, I gained the strange powers of being able to float without thinking, but I assumed that was due to the fact I pretty much had no willpower in the Cursed Realm to care about anything that I was doing.

Was that the key to my other powers? Simply not caring about anything, drifting through my thoughts without priority? Like Nya's element of water? It could be, but now was not the time. I wasn't yet healed, but at least the wound was smaller than before. From being a thin slice about the height of a small glue stick, it was now only as large as a bottlecap. However, the wound was still deep and _painful_ but there wasn't much I could do.

"If I start sleepwalking again, use this." Lloyd spoke, setting down an airhorn on a nearby end table. I gave him a look of confusion and a pinch of 'what the heck.'

"I meant to use it on you, but I bought it before I read that ghosts don't need sleep. Guessed I might as well keep it to scare you, but it seems that's not going to happen." Lloyd huffed, and I nodded slightly.

"How's the wound healing? Water and deepstone tests were never performed on a Solenade." He asked, and I exposed my wound reluctantly. Lloyd stared at it, looking at my midsection from every angle.

"I'm kind of surprised, you're not as modest as you used to be. Would've thought you'd grab a coat or something from your portals." I frowned, not sure how to explain 'I stopped caring' in charades with limited movement. Pointing to myself, I tried to get him to guess.

"You're pointing at yourself. Why do you keep… Oh. Oh! Charades. Right… I forget about that, but it keeps you quiet. So I'm assuming you mean 'you.'" I nodded slowly, then made a face of disinterest, making that stereotypical 'hmph' with my nose in the air kind of expression.

"Snooty? No… Bratty… No, same thing… Uh, people ignored you? Okay, closer than before… You ignored you? Okay, way off. Now you're trying to… Cradle a baby? Alright, just tell me." Lloyd angrily rolled his eyes, too tired to put up with charades.

"I stopped caring. Self-esteem? As if I have any anymore, so I've kind of given up on modesty and most other sorts of personal traits I had in life." I answered.

"Sounds like you." He shrugged, and I curled back into my wound as response.

"You should be fine in the morning. Use the airhorn when I'm sleepwalking _only_." Lloyd sighed, and went off into his room. Once again, I was left to my own thoughts. Instead, I took this time to remain quiet and listen to Lloyd's room from the couch. Admittedly, it was pretty much silent. Whether he soundproofed it or just wasn't speaking aloud was a mystery to me.

I stared at the door, waiting to see if Lloyd would pop out again and sleepwalk. It was like looking at a balloon that's overinflated. You don't know if it's going to pop or not, but you hope it doesn't. Fortunately, after a good while, I assumed he wasn't coming back out.

Passing the time with silent song, I blew out the tunes of music I once listened to long ago. The pain was slowly fading, and the hole was no larger than a mechanical pencil's lead. I stared as the wound closed, and the spotless area only ached.

Finally, the pain I had forced my mind not to think about had faded and I could now relax fully. I uncurled, smiling as it was _finally_ gone. Sitting up, I decided to map out the small shelter. Just in case Lloyd goes walking off too far without me.

* * *

 **Muahaha Lloyd gives up on being a good bean. Tellin' ya, I'm trying to make this as Lloyd-centric as possible. Lloyd doesn't understand that what he's doing isn't good. Think of Myrana as the less-thotty Harumi. Yes, I view Harumi as a thot to Lloyd and screamed about it long before season 8 came out.**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HAVE A GREAT DAY!**


	18. Chapter 18

**Well, take this long ending chapter, because I'm now working on the next book! I won't be posting for a while, since I'm not very far ahead in it.**

* * *

The room I was in was pretty simple, a couch with some end tables and a small coffee table in front. There was no TV, but a painting of Lloyd and his father replaced that spot. To my right was the doorway to the kitchen and a bathroom, while the door to Lloyd's bedroom was to the left of the painting. The kitchen was small, more like a hallway if anything. A few closets were in the main living room, but otherwise I saw very little storage space. There was no second floor or basement, just the bare essentials to a living space.

The walls were quite plain in their color, a light shade of grey-blue. The floors were also just as simple, a fake tile that would be easy to clean. Lloyd had obviously strayed away from the bright green of his clothing, with very few items in the shelter being green. Otherwise, it wasn't a bad place at all. Of course, I didn't know what Lloyd's room looked like. I'd have to wait until I unlocked the secrets of being a ghost before sneaking in there.

I wondered if the Ninja had figured out that they'd need backup to fight me. I may not be entirely in control of being a ghost, but my speed and stamina? Boosted immensely. My strength was also improved, basically making my formation a bonus for my physical body. Mentally, I was more detached and was easily able to compartmentalize my life and thoughts than before. It was almost like I hadn't experienced emotion, and instead had returned to my old mindset when I first came to Ninjago. While I did care, it was never as strong as it was around season three. That was my emotional peak.

Perhaps it was my attempts at relationships with others that affected my ability to emote. Without someone I felt inclined to trust at the drop of a hat that I could call family, my ability to identify my own emotions, or even feel them seemed to be faded. Whether I would get the chance to have someone become a sibling again was a question in a whole different league.

Eventually, I just decided to put myself on an autopilot that I often relied on when I started waiting. I didn't want to risk being caught trying to control my powers again. However, my eyes remained on the door to Lloyd's room, caring enough to watch it to make sure he didn't sleep-walk out of there.

After a while, Lloyd stumbled out of the door, completely awake. Groggy and tired, yes, but one hundred percent conscious. He glanced at me, but paid no attention to my existence. He still carried the deepstone dagger, I suppose he didn't feel secure without it.

He shuffled into the kitchen, pouring cereal and milk into a bowl for breakfast. Lloyd ate at the coffee table, and I was careful to stay away from the milk. If that dagger hurt, imagine some other liquid landing on me that can't easily be removed. Another new threat to my existence, I suppose. Once he finished, Lloyd put his bowl and spoon into his small dishwasher and turned to face me.

"Well, I told you that you'd be working. So I guess it's time I show you exactly what you're going to do." Lloyd hummed, pulling out a sheet of paper from an end table drawer. I shrugged, not really caring if I had work to do. If anything, it made my day more interesting than sitting and staring at a wall. When I stared at the paper, I found he wanted me to stand out on a pole a short ways away from Stiix. I squinted, unsure why he would want me to go there before I realized.

Strangleweed.

Kai was almost drowned by it, and if I even so much as touched the water, I'd be screwed!

He wanted me to build the dock that the Ninja couldn't build during season five! I sighed, knowing that I had no choice in the matter, and struggling would only make everything worse. Staring at Lloyd, I gestured for him to lead the way.

"Just get in the jet on the roof. It's already programmed to take you to Stiix and I'll know when you're finished. Because, you are allowed to leave the barrier to work on the dock in Stiix, and when you are finished, get back in the jet and inform me of your work. I've got a list of things for you to build." Lloyd commanded, and I followed his demands. Hopping into the jet, I pressed the obvious button that said 'GO.' In fact, it was even in English. How odd.

Moving on, I let the jet do its thing and fly me off to Stiix. I stared outside, noting the sun was barely rising. It was a pretty sight compared to the dull green of the Cursed Realm. That giant ball of fire in the sky marked time, which this realm was lucky to have. Trees and mountains eventually appeared, but only for a short while. Mostly, it was flat a bright green meadow below me.

At least it was something new. I stared at the brightening sky, watching it become a bright shade of blue. How pretty compared to the green that never changed. Perhaps residing in Stiix for a short while would be nice. Lloyd would not be around me, and when work was called out for the day, I would be able to wander.

As the landscape slowly changed into mountains, I recalled that Ronin lived in Stiix. At least, that's where his shop was. His shop had the aeroblades the Ninja used against Morro's friends in the original timeline. If Ronin viewed me as a threat, then it may be dangerous for me.

And as far as I knew, I couldn't poof. Should something made of deepstone hit me, it'd stay until something took it back out.. I hadn't touched water yet… But I had a sneaking suspicion that it would be the same. Both were unfavorable traits of being a ghost, or at least a Solenade with someone controlling me.

I felt the jet slow, and I turned to face the outskirts of Stiix. It seems I would be moving in myself. I pressed forwards, watching as citizens would shriek and run in fear. I merely walked in, moving towards the unfinished dock. Passing by several shops, I noticed Ronin's place. Oddly enough, he was staring out the window, a grim look on his face. Turning away, I concentrated on my surroundings with a new vigor.

Obviously, Ronin did see me as some sort of enemy. I was at risk of being hit with one of those stupid blades. For now, I moved on and continued to follow through with Lloyd's orders. More and more citizens continued to run in fright until I arrived at the dock. I frowned, unsure of how I would be able to communicate.

Luckily, a child had dropped some of her supplies, including a crayon and some paper. While I was restricted from pens and things that could be used as weapons that were not imperative to my mission, crayons were free game. Besides, crayons and paper were a very minor thing that could easily be replaced. No one was going to try and fight me for that.

Searching for anyone around the dock, I frowned and flew upwards. I glanced down, finding one man behind a large crate. Settling back down on the docks, I walked around the crate with my hand outstretched and a smile on my face. Of course, the construction man curled up in fear and started shrieking. Rolling my eyes, I sat down in front of him, and began to write out my message.

 _May I build the unfinished dock?_

I held the paper up for a long while until the man realized I was doing absolutely nothing. He read the paper and stared at me in confusion.

"What?" He gulped, and I motioned to the paper.

"Can't you talk?" I shook my head, holding a hand to my throat.

"What _are_ you?" He sputtered, and I wrote ghost on the paper.

"So you're a ghost, and you want to build that dock? Specifically?" He laughed, and I nodded.

 _I don't really have a choice, but yes. If you are afraid for your workers, don't be. I have no interest in hurting anyone. I'm just here for the dock and then I'll leave._

"You must be stupid to think I'll put some supernatural creature on duty to build the dock!" He shouted, pointing at me angrily. I frowned and looked out at the sea.

 _Look. If I hurt anyone intentionally that is not out of self-defense, I give you the permission to splash water on me. Trust me when I say it feels like I'm on fire._

"I stand by my decision. I'm not letting you build it. I'll find someone else." The worker refused, and I huffed.

 _I'm still going to build it, with or without your permission. I cannot avoid making that dock. You can hide your materials or do whatever, but I am going to finish it. Superior's orders._

"Oh? And who's your superior? I'll talk some sense into them!"

 _The green ninja._

The man burst out laughing, and I hissed angrily. If he refused to let me build the dock, I would do it on my own! I turned away, walking out to find the supplies that the construction man would not let me have.

"Wh-Hey! You can't go-" I turned to him with a dark look. Whether he liked it or not, I was ordered to build that dock. Even if he managed to get rid of every single piece of unused material, I still had my portals. They didn't always drop what I needed, Earth had a _lot_ of useless junk, the portals would eventually give up the things I needed.

Walking away, I continued to look for any sort of large piles of wood. Quickly, I found it and smiled. I could build the dock in about… Five normal work days if I worked alone. Enough time to regain a bearing on myself and my new situation, but not too much free time for Lloyd either.

Then a revelation hit me.

How could I have not noticed! Lloyd sending me away to Stiix was the worst choice he could've ever made! Now that I was in a populated town with no orders against sending mail, I could write a message! Oh, the possibilities! I silently cheered with huffs of air, just about ready to dart off and find a store, when the gruff voice of Ronin rang out.

"What brings a ghost like you here? Wait… You're the Solenade the green one was talking about huh?" Ronin noted, and I twisted to face him sharply. I did a quick rundown on what he was doing and finding and aeroblade pointed at my throat was not a particularly pleasant experience. Staring at the shuriken, I frowned.

"Right. Greenie didn't want you talking, did he?" I nodded slowly in response, careful not to touch the deepstone of the weapon.

"Well, you're right on time for his bi-monthly schedule. Never missed a day for about three years." Ronin glanced in the direction of where I knew the jet to be. Squinting at Ronin, I wanted to ask if he was Lloyd's dealer, but I hesitated. Not yet, I needed to get out a letter first.

"Got something on your mind shorty?" Yes, yes I did but I had no time right now to pay attention to you. Slowly pulling out and writing on the previously crumpled piece of paper, I made a short message.

 _Need to write letter. Need to build dock. Can't stay with you right now._

"You better bet I'm watching you. Greenie's just a kid, he isn't going to realize what you're capable of. But I'm sure he guaranteed you can't hurt anyone." Ronin scowled, and I smiled. Oh how little he knew.

Dashing through the air, I found a small store nearby and found it all locked up. Right, ghost thing. Glancing at the door, the hinges were on the outside and appeared to be a bit loose. Ha! Strength boost, let's test you out!

Grabbing onto the small pins that held the hinges, I pulled out a total of three and with ease. I guess with being in the Cursed realm, I never really focused too hard on the bonuses of being a ghost. While being alive is kind of a downside, I couldn't really do much about it. All that I could do was just be left alone in the Cursed Realm to make other's lives easier and never be remembered.

Pulling the door's now free hinges, I carefully brought the door down and peered inside. Finding a thick stack of blank paper in a nearby package, I smiled. Grabbing a few more crayons on my way out, I set them outside and put the door back. While feeling a bit of guilt for stealing, this was for a good cause. Stealing paper and crayons versus stealing free will and doing pretty much slavery illegally. Take your pick over the more serious crime.

Floating into an alley so people wouldn't find me, I began to frantically write down a message to get it out as soon as possible.

 _Alright, get this to Zane so he can translate to English, I'm quite paranoid about this letter._

 _Real letter starts here:_

 _Okay. Right now I'm in the small water-village of Stiix. I won't be here for long, but I can guarantee you I'm due east of the village in some sort of meadow-like area. Currently, I haven't done much. Once I'm finished with this letter, I'm building a dock here in Stiix. Lloyd's orders. First of all, I need you to get backup from the Cursed realm, preferably Morro. Second, NO MATTER HOW PROUD YOU ARE AND THAT YOU THINK YOU CAN SAVE LLOYD YOURSELVES, GET BACKUP. I have no decision in fighting you, and trust me when I say I will not hold back. I have noticed my boosted stamina, strength, and speed. As of yet, I don't know how to manually turn invisible, become intangible, or possess anything. However, if I do I will use them against you if Lloyd says so._

 _Third. BRING A DOCTOR. Lloyd is currently on pills of some sort, and I'm sure you remember your last encounter with him. These pills are changing him, causing him to forget core things about me. If he really was fine in the head, I'm sure he'd remember that working and building is one of my strong points! If you can't find a doctor, get Zane to research and download any sort of sources on addiction and how to get people off of it._

 _While I do want to get Lloyd off the pills myself, he knows that I'm probably going to be the one who sabotages his supply. There isn't anyone else but us in the meadow, he's only got one person to blame._

 _Also, please note that I do not want a war between realms. Consider yourselves all off the hook, but I must admit I stole this paper and crayons. Not allowed to touch a lot of stuff under Lloyd's orders. A huge setback, but once again Lloyd isn't thinking correctly by sending me here._

 _Fourth. REMEMBER YOU HAVE THE REALM CRYSTAL! Lloyd left it at your place, thinking he wouldn't be discovered. He was, and you have the upper hand. You have the chance to summon anyone from any realm. Please get someone from the Cursed Realm to help, because even I don't know everything to being a ghost._

 _If somehow the Realm Crystal is compromised, try and get to the Ninjago History Museum. It has a piece called the 'Allied Armor.' It can summon allies when you believe you are in danger. You can use that to get messengers between realms. For now, this is all I can think of, and I leave it all to you to get me and Lloyd out of our compromising conditions._

 _Don't screw up._

 _-Myrana_

I finished, folding the papers together in order to send it. Hastily flying it into a nearby mailbox, I grinned in relief. There was a good chance I was going to be free soon! Hoping that the Ninja still had their superhero mojo, I headed back to the docks. The construction man was attempting to mobilize his material with a large crane. He wasn't building the dock, just trying to get the material away from me. Seeing wood placed in the crane's claw, floated up and detached the small stack of wood. While _not_ building the dock would be nice, I don't have a choice in whether I build it or not. If I start defying the order, then I can guarantee pain for me.

The very thought had my scar heating up in warning.

Bringing the wood to the ground, I stared out at the unfinished dock. It appeared that all the support posts were in, but the wood flooring was not. Squinting, I guarded the small pile of wood as I looked for nails and a mallet.

"I thought I told you, you aren't building that dock!" I heard a shout. Ah yes, it was the construction man again. I chose to sit on top of the pile of wood to show my defiance against his statement.

"What kind of ghost wants to build a dock?" He grumbled loudly, and I frowned. I pointed at my scar which spelled out Etkados.

"Oh. _Oh_." The construction man became even more frightened than before. How did he not notice my scar before? Perhaps there was something instinctual to avoid acknowledging my scar. Nonetheless, it seems I had his attention.

I pointed out at the dock, showing I was going to get it done.

"You were… You think that with that marking, that _anyone_ would want you around here? You were outcast by society! There is no way anyone should allow you here!" Oh how I knew. I knew no one wanted me here, including myself. I shrugged, having no choice. Then the construction man glared at me, pulling out a small canteen.

Not good.

Sharply standing up, I huffed angrily at the container. There was bound to be liquid on the inside. Not once did I take my eyes away from it. I only promised to be hit with water if I intentionally injured someone!

"Yeah. Told me it feels like fire, right? Not your best idea. Try and build this dock and you'll be getting a face-full!" He threatened, and I found myself in a sticky situation. I had to build the dock but doing so would end up in severe burning for a long while. Whether my scar or the water was worse was yet to be tested. In all honesty, I didn't want to know. Deepstone by itself was bad enough.

Slowly, I stood and floated back into the alley I left the papers and crayons in. This time, I would wait out building the dock. Tonight, I would find the supplies. Tomorrow, I would build as much of the dock as I could. Reasoning with the construction man was now out of the question.

Sitting in the dark corner, I glanced back at the paper and crayons. Perhaps I could draw, because I didn't really want to write. Besides, I doubted I would get this chance again. With that trait of thought, I began to draw out a picture. Fitting it to my mood, the picture was filled with strings and tangles around a center core. The core was a simple brown, more of a tan if anything. Neutral. The strings however… All green. Tight, thick and suffocating around the core.

It was a web. A web of suffocation, pains, regrets. The core was trapped in an endless tug of war with the strings, unable to escape. It was caged in a prison made of memories and mistakes.

Once the piece was finished, I let it fly free. Whether the paper would land in the water or not was not important to me. I couldn't keep it, and no one would want whatever I draw. I'm a ghost and a Solenade. There is no place for me here.

However, people did start coming back out of their houses. Each one would carry a water bottle with them, a defense against me. I had to admit, the construction man was smarter than he looked. Staring down at my papers again, I decided to draw him. A smart man deserves a reward.

He was a simple guy, wearing a white hard hat and a bright yellow vest. Wearing jeans with a few pockets holding radios and pens, the drawing became a detailed symbol for what little I knew of him. Mallets of steel were placed behind him, showing his stubbornness and somewhat quick reactions to the face of the unknown.

Once again, I let the paper fly away, and I continued to doodle until sundown. I drew all the people that I knew, letting each one float away into the small breeze. Maybe it wasn't really letting go of the people I knew and regret, but it at least provided a small comfort.

With the sun setting, many of the bustling and vigilant people had retreated to their wooden homes, the artificial lights from inside going out one by one. When the moon had reached about a quarter into the sky, I flew out and went off to find the supplies that I'm sure the construction man hid. Careful to not make any noise, I hovered above the wooden planks that made up the entire town. I darted from building to building, trying to find one large enough to hide the materials in.

When the moon was at it's peak, I found the materials in one of the medium buildings, surprisingly far from the dock site. Someone must have been looking after me, for I once again had the opportunity to remove the hinge pins and open the doors. I knew I was short on time and I estimated I would finish one out of the five sections of the dock before sunrise.

Pulling out all the materials I thought I could use and finish, I floated back and forth to get the supplies where I needed them. Trying to hammer in nails with a mallet quietly was a challenge, with lights occasionally turning on nearby. Yet, I continued on with my work, slowly satisfying Lloyd's command.

The sun eventually started to brighten the sky, but it hadn't peeked over the horizon just yet. I had a few more planks to go, and I doubted I would finish them before sunrise. Despite the new complications with my limited time, I kept my steady pace. Quality over quantity after all. After a good while, the sun bloomed over the horizon, and I had one last plank left. I hammered the wood into place, then went to hide in the nearby alley once again.

This time, I chose not to draw, and instead watched the citizens of Stiix shuffle about slowly in the early morning. Of course, each person that walked through continued to carry water. However, there was one exception to that rule.

The mailman was biking through town.

His appearance was quite a shock for me. I didn't expect for him to be here so quickly! Honestly, I believed he would grab my letter when I left town to get back to Lloyd. Maybe fortune was finally looking out for me!

* * *

Tonight was my last night. I had finished four sections of the dock, but it had taken longer than usual. The construction man, who's name was fittingly Dan, put out night watches. I had to convince every night watcher that it was going to be okay from the shadows. Doing so was not an easy feat! It's like a robber saying if you leave your store for a bit, he won't steal anything! It was a setback, but also an advantage. The more time I had in Stiix, the more likely I would get rescued.

Right now it was a sunny afternoon, with the citizens hustling about in a less frantic state than the first day I saw them. While each citizen was still careful to carry water, they were much more relaxed and unguarded than before.

"Of all the places you could've been, you _had_ to get sent here." A familiar and whiny voice spoke from behind me. I spun around fast enough to give any normal person whiplash! Right in front of me was Morro, the backup I desperately needed. I whistled a high pitch, latching onto Morro with an iron grip. Whistling random notes of excitement, Morro laughed and pried me off after a short while.

"This is going to be kind of weird, so please don't freak out…" He warned me, and faster than I thought possible, he had a knee on my back and both arms bent behind me. I twitched uncomfortably but didn't struggle. Whatever he was doing, I had to trust him on it.

"Jay and Zane are out finding and fighting Lloyd. Cole and Kai are here in Stiix for backup. It must've been tough to fly all the way here, since I didn't see one of your fancy 'jets.' I keep hearing about." Morro commented, and I froze. The jet was never supposed to leave without me!

OW! GOT TO GET TO LLOYD, THE NECKLACE IS AT RISK!

OW OW OW OW OW ! _GET TO LLOYD NOW!_

 _FORGET THE DOCK, PROTECT THE NECKLACE!_

 _OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW!_

 _IT'S WORSE THAN THE DAGGER!_

"I know, I know it's going to suck for a little bit, but don't worry. They're getting the necklace, and all your orders will be gone." Morro cooed, trying to make this experience better.

 _IT HURTS IT BURNS IT HURTS HURT HURT HURT GET TO NECKLACE!_

 _DEFEND LLOYD AND THE NECKLACE!_

Then as fast as the pain came, it left. My ghost body ached all over, leaving me with a feeling of exhaustion I hadn't felt in a while.

"What's my name?" Morro asked, and I tried to reply.

Except I couldn't.

"Myrana?"

I glanced back up at Morro with worried eyes. Grabbing a red and black crayon weakly, I waved it pathetically to warn him of what's to come.

"Oh no." He realized what I implied and hauled me onto his back. Speeding away, he brought me to a small food shop where Kai and Cole were buying some candy.

"So did it work?" Cole asked, and Morro shook his head.

"Myrana still can't talk. If Lloyd beat the strategic best opponents, we're in trouble next."

"And we were about to buy food for you two, in a parting gift way. You ghosts have one heck of a appetite." Kai tried to joke, but it just wasn't the right time.

"This isn't a time to joke around! Your precious green ninja just managed to knockout Zane and Jay within minutes! If you count how fast your fancy flying things go, _he's_ probably going to be here in less than a few minutes!" Morro hissed, and Cole nodded.

"Let's get back to the Earth-rider and get out of here." Cole ordered, and now all four of us were racing to the outside of the village. Well, I kind of had a piggyback ride but it was still at quite the pace. Yet, even in our haste things suddenly started going south.

A crater stood in the place of the supposed escape vehicle. A black, charred, and still warm crater.

"He's here." Morro whispered, and proceeded to glance back at me. It was a look of fear and worry, and his grip on me tightened. With a soft sigh of regret, Morro pushed me back down onto the dirt, pinning me to the ground.

"We can't stay! We can just run y-" Kai shouted, and Morro shook his head.

"He'll find us too fast. It's too late. All we can do is fight." He refused.

A blade from nowhere flung itself at Cole, barely missing his face as the Ninja of Earth dodged with graceful precision. As the blade embedded itself into the trunk of a tree, Lloyd stepped into the open with another sword. A new dark splotch of clothing paint adorned his outfit, but whatever the object was I could only guess.

Lloyd was muttering loudly, his speech slightly slurred but definitely angry. The necklace that controlled me shimmered brightly against Lloyd's neck, a glint of doom dancing across the small edges of the liquid turned crystal.

"Lloyd?" Cole stared at the shaky form of the green ninja.

"I hoped that I could do this the easy way. Get Myrana to build a couple of things and maybe do chores, but _no_. She has to always ruin my life by being a burden! I give her permission to come to Stiix alone, but of course she has to do everything to break that trust!" Lloyd screeched, his rant completely off topic from what Cole probably wanted or expected.

"Seriously Lloyd, you've been acting nuts lately! You can't just do this or control another person like that! The last thing that controlled someone was the Overlord!"

" _DON'T_ COMPARE ME TO HIM!" Lloyd shrilled, his blade immediately aimed for Kai. Kai pulled out his own sword, and Cole brought out his scythe.

"Look, just take off the necklace-" Cole began but Lloyd was having none of it.

" _NO_!"

And the battle for my freedom was in effect, and I felt my scar heating up and then-

 _OW OW OW OW OW OW OW!_

 _GET THE RED AND BLACK NINJA!_

 _PROTECT LLOYD AT ALL COSTS!_

 _PROTECT THE NECKLACE!_

 _OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW OW!_

 _THE PAIN IT IT IT IT IT I CAN'T THINK!_

 _GET THE NECKLACE, STOP THE ENEMY!_

 _GET UP GET UP GET UP GET OUT GET OUT GET OUT!_

"I can't let you go. I'm sorry, I wish I could." Morro whispered again.

 _DON'T CARE NEED NECKLACE PROTECT LLOYD!_

 _NECKLACE._

 _NECKLACE._

 _NECKLACE._

 _NECKLACE._

 _NECKLACE._

 _NECKLACE._

 _NECKLACE._

 _NECKLACE._

"Agh!" Morro shouted out, his pin down weakening enough for me to get away. The deepstone dagger implanted deeply into his right shoulder.

 _PROTECT LLOYD!_

I raced to fight off Kai, as Cole had already long fallen. With the whistle of the wind around me, I dived at Kai's side while he was busy blocking Lloyd. My ghostly speed was too fast for him to react, and I hit him with all the force I could put into my flight.

"Mmph!" Kai's voice was muffled by the dirt I had smashed his face into. The divebomb was a devastating blow, as Kai was unable to try and get me off of him. He was likely injured pretty badly, but I relaxed as my unspoken order was fulfilled, and I collapsed on the ground next to Kai.

I glanced over at Lloyd, and his expression radiated danger. Rage poured off him in waves, and he turned to face the shaking and weak Morro. The dagger was still in his shoulder, and Morro was doing nothing but screeching quietly. The whines and whimpers he weakly gave off was heartbreaking, and I had no energy to help. I had to recover from my own two episodes of extreme pain.

Menacingly, Lloyd slowly stalked behind Morro. The paint I recalled on Lloyd's outfit became a solid object, and what I saw would make me pale if I could. It was a _chained collar_! I wouldn't doubt that it's made of deepstone and it would be painful to touch alongside nullifying elemental powers.

Lloyd stood above Morro ominously, the collar in his right hand. With his left hand, Lloyd grasped onto the dark-colored deepstone dagger.

"AUGH!" Morro screamed, the miniscule movement making the pain unbearable.

Lloyd swiftly removed the dagger from Morro's shoulder, and as soon as the blade was gone, the collar immediately replaced it. Morro's shouts of pain were heartbreaking as Lloyd yanked on the chain harshly. He was forced to stand and his hands were trying to grasp at the restraint, but every time his hands got too close, he had to push them away to avoid even more pain.

"GAH!" He screeched as Lloyd pulled the chain to get him to walk towards me.

"Get up." Lloyd's voice was low and hardened. In all honesty, I was afraid. Very, very afraid. This might have just pushed Lloyd off the edge, and he could come up with many different ways to punish both of us.

Floating off the ground slowly, I hovered barely an inch above the ground.

"You get to keep him under control. Don't let him leave the barrier. Should be a simple enough order for you to follow." Lloyd growled, forcing the burning deepstone chain into my hands. Quietly submitting to his command, I wrapped the ever-scorching links around my wrist. I glanced back at Morro, his gaze unfocused and breathing heavy. I tugged on the chain gently, and he didn't move. Tugging harder, he whimpered and barely shuffled forward. The painful chain wasn't enough to get him to follow me.

Stepping behind Morro, I picked him up and hauled him over my shoulder. He screeched in pain at his wound moving but remained limp anyhow. Flinching at his soft wheezes of pain, I floated us behind Lloyd, but far enough not to bother him. We moved for a short while, before arriving at the jet. Lloyd glanced back at me, his expression still comprised of rage.

"Just get in the back, and don't touch anything. Use your words and tell me where we should hide." Lloyd demanded.

"Hide at Zane's father's lighthouse." I replied carefully, floating with Morro into the back seat. Putting Morro in my lap, I checked his wound. His was healing a bit slower than mine, and I assumed it would be two more hours before the wound would close up.

"I'll be right back. Seems I'm going to need a bigger package this month. Don't move from the jet or move the jet itself." Lloyd hissed, walking away into town. I frowned, watching him walk off. I had truly made him suffer, hadn't I? Glancing back down Morro's wound, I realized something.

Lloyd had finally broken.

He finally turned into the monster that is me.

Apathy to those you fight, driven to do everything your way only, detached from the world and everything around you… He had finally become what he hated. He became me.

I curled up around Morro, careful not to move his wound. If ghosts were able to cry, I would've. Instead, I settled for quick huffs of air and a tight hold of the only friend I had in the Cursed Realm.

This was it, I supposed. The Ninja were unable to help me, and if they couldn't beat Lloyd, who could? We're about to be put on a small island prison, with nothing but water for miles and miles! We'd both be at Lloyd's mercy. No escape, no way to get help. Lloyd probably wouldn't let me go out again until he made a complicated set of orders to follow that had no loopholes.

What he might do to Morro was a whole new question. Unlike me, Morro was not a Solenade. Even if he was, everyone that could control him would likely be dead. Lloyd wouldn't be able to control Morro without force. The chained collar around his neck was proof. It still burned to the touch, but I had long let go. Morro was not as fortunate.

He would be stuck with this collar until Lloyd saw fit. With deepstone both burning and cancelling out elemental powers, he had no defense. One advantage he did have was the ability to speak. I couldn't talk unless Lloyd let me.

"Sorry." Morro whispered through his whines and sharp breaths of pain. I pet his left arm in response, not wanting to irritate his wound. It wasn't Morro's fault. All of this was mine. Everything that has happened is all because of me.

I swore to make sure that Morro would at least live as best as he could in the tower. If he needed something, I'd get it. If he needed someone to rant to, I'd be there. If he got hurt and needed someone to comfort him, I'd be there.

It may not be a sibling relationship, but it was the least I could do for him. Morro didn't deserve to be treated like this, especially when he didn't know me all that well.

Lloyd walked back towards us, a small suitcase in his hands. His face was still stiff and angry, and for once I was silent willingly. He glanced at Kai and Cole, who were both still knocked out. Lloyd had to have done a number on Cole to keep him down so long. I already knew that Kai probably had a number of injuries thanks to my attack.

As he got closer to the jet, I felt Morro try to stand up to go and fight him, but I held him down gently. He hissed as I held him close, refusing to let him or his arms move. Lloyd was dangerous right now, this was no time to try and fight against him.

Once Lloyd jumped into the jet, Morro squirmed angrily against my hold. I kept him in place as he muttered gibberish alongside pained whimpers. Lloyd only glanced back and squinted at me in a silent warning to keep Morro in check. The jet began to start up, slowly speeding upwards and towards the ocean.

Morro felt the strange force of acceleration, stilling and giving up. I still held on tightly, unsure if he was really submitting to the hopelessness of this situation. Either way, we were both doomed. This was going to be a frightening chapter of both our afterlives.

Lloyd only continued to just stare out and guide the jet, but then he spoke.

"You are both in serious trouble. You're going to regret ever trying to get away." Lloyd seethed, and I held onto Morro a slight bit tighter.

Was it bad to have comfort in the fact that someone was with me? Was it bad to enjoy the fact that I could hang onto someone who was going to just a terrible fate as I?

Maybe it was, but there was no going back, no matter how hard I wanted to. Now we both were going to have to face the dark future whether we liked it or not.

Looking at Morro's wound again, I saw it had a good while left to heal. I wished I could heal him in some way shape or form. Even now I could still feel Morro's slight tremble as his wound inflicted nothing but excruciating pain. I knew that the pierce of that dagger was so painful and agonizing that you just kind of stopped thinking. There was nothing that you could focus on other than the ache and burns of the wound.

All I could do was hang onto Morro as he continued to suffer. How he managed not to scream often was incredible, and depressing. Chances are he's probably felt this pain before and knows how to handle it better than I. To think that this may not be his first painful injury was a saddening thought.

Occasionally, I would glance at Morro's wound to guess how long we've been in the jet. The sun was only really helpful for large time estimates. It took us about an hour to get to the lighthouse, since Morro's wound was about half the size it was in Stiix. Lloyd landed us right at the front of the stairs, and I hauled Morro out.

Of course, I did have to warn Lloyd about Echo Zane, otherwise he might just kick the innocent bot into smithereens accidentally. I set Morro down, and jumped up and down on the first stair.

"What? Speak." Lloyd growled.

"Echo Zane still lives here, he's what built out of loneliness before Zane found him here." I replied.

"How many people am I going to have to take care of?" Lloyd muttered, pulling out his suitcase. In response, I just picked Morro back up and floated beside the large staircase. At least Lloyd knew about Echo Zane now, it wouldn't be a surprise.

Lloyd began his trek up the stairs as I followed behind him with Morro. As Lloyd stepped up, I could hear the sound of what I assumed to be a massive number of pills in his suitcase. I still hated those things, and that Lloyd was taking them. One could easily see that it as doing something horrible to him. Lloyd was irritable, controlling, and much less kind than he used to be.

Once we reached the front and only entrance to the tower, Lloyd pushed the unlocked door open. Seagulls squawked upstairs, and something crashed. Lloyd took a deep breath, putting on a mask of kindness against his anger. At least he had some sort of a standard.

"Hello?" Lloyd called out, his tone much gentler than what he was going to do to us for sure. It remained quiet upstairs, and Lloyd repeated himself. Nothing happened, and Lloyd began to climb up the stairwell that led to the only room upstairs.

The wood creaked under his weight, but not a single plank failed its task. Morro also remained silent, still trembling in my arms. Once he entered the room upstairs, he looked around for any sign of Echo Zane.

"It's really clean in here for a tower that left." Lloyd noted, smoothly attempting to get Echo Zane's attention.

"You knew father?" Echo Zane stepped out from behind a crate, his expression curious. In one hand he held a letter, one I recognized from a long, long time ago.

Back during the time of 'The Last Voyage' I wrote a letter to Echo Zane before we left alongside . It was a short little thing, only really saying sorry and hope to see you one day. Seems as if it came true.

"Yeah. Unfortunately, he passed years ago." Lloyd softly replied, putting up a very convincing cover for his anger.

"Oh." Echo looked down, his face falling.

"I'm sorry for your loss." Lloyd spoke, and Echo Zane looked up.

"It is to be expected. He did tell me there was a day he would leave. I hope he is happy." Echo Zane shook his head, then looking at us in confusion.

"Why are you two green and floating? Father never said people could float." Echo asked us, and since both of us couldn't reply, Lloyd took over.

"They're ghosts, people who died and had cursed souls. This is Myrana, and she's carrying someone I don't know yet."

"Okay… Do you think he's Starlord? Someone named Starlord left me this letter…" Echo Zane pulled out a yellowed sheet of paper, staring at the note I had left long ago.

"You wrote that?" Lloyd raised an eyebrow and I nodded.

"You're Starlord?" Echo's voice became slightly optimistic. I smiled, once again nodding to confirm my identity.

"It is wonderful to meet you! I don't know how you managed to draw me without seeing me, but I thank you for your note. It gave me hope someone would arrive again one day." Echo admitted.

"So you're Zane's brother? Sort of?" Lloyd tried to get the topic off of me.

"I am Zane. Built to protect those who cannot protect themselves. Though the letter does nickname me as 'Echo Zane.'"

"He never told you… Wow." Lloyd muttered something under his breath I couldn't hear. I assumed it was something about how being a bad father.

"Told me what?"

"Your father… He didn't tell you that you aren't the first Zane. Back in Ninjago, a big place past the ocean, your father built the first Zane. The one I know. He built the first Zane in the Birchwood Forest, alongside his falcon. Then died, later he was revived by Samukai to build weapons, but was left here in the aftermath. Zane went on to become a Ninja, like me. He's been on a lot of adventures. I could probably take you there someday."

"You could?"

"Easily. You could even live there if you wanted to."

"Would you… Would you mind? I've been here an awful long time with Tai-D. Making chess a story is fun, but it can get a bit old after playing so long."

"When would you like to go? If you want to pack or something…" Ah I see, Lloyd was getting Echo off the island. He'd probably convince Echo not to tell that we took him there or that we're on the island in the first place. After all, if this were to be an example, he's turned out to be a skilled liar over the years.

"All I really need to take is Tai-D. Do you think you could take me now?"

"Yeah. And Myrana will take good care of the lighthouse here while you're gone."

"Why can't we take them with us?"

"The jet is a bit too small to carry more than two. It was really crowded with three. Besides, they'll make sure the lighthouse is taken care of while we go to Ninjago." Lloyd reasoned.

"Will you? Will you take care of the lighthouse without me? I haven't left it since the day I was made…" Echo requested, and I nodded enthusiastically. Even without Lloyd's orders, I would keep this place in shape anyways.

"Then let us depart!" Echo cheered, and I smiled sadly. While Echo's life would be improved, I doubted that mine would. The little tea bot known as Tai-D was picked up and rushed down the stairs.

"You're allowed outside the barrier until I get back. None of you are to leave the island." Lloyd commanded, before following Echo Zane down the staircase as he continued the act of being all kind and such. How he managed to learn how to suppress his anger so well was concerning. I supposed it would be important to learn the warning signs of his anger in the future.

Finally relaxing, I set Morro down on a few ground seat cushions. You know, since Legos can't properly sit on a chair without jumping. His wound still had a while to heal. The best I could do for him now was comfort him through the pain. Morro continued to remain silent.

I watched as his wound eventually closed up, and I assumed Lloyd was probably in Ninjago by now. That meant we probably had another hour before he came back.

"Thank goodness." Morro sighed, exhausted from healing. I merely pet his head in reassurance.

"So I guess we're alone for a little while before he comes back, right?" I nodded as Morro sat up.

"I'm sorry that we failed. I should've brought more reinforcements, should've used my powers, o-" I cut him off with a rough pat on his head and a frown. It was not his fault, it was all mine.

"What are we going to do? Deepstone makes it hard to focus, it's always burning. I can't fly us out of here. Besides, Lloyd made it so you have to watch me anyways." I shrugged in response.

"I remember your letter said you didn't know how to use all your ghost powers, right?" Morro noted, but I tried to show I couldn't possess anything. Lloyd didn't allow me to possess things without his permission.

"Oh, another one of his rules. Well, I can do my best to teach you how to turn invisible. You already learned how to touch things foreign to the Cursed Realm." Morro shrugged, and I tiled my head in confusion.

"Wait, you pick things up without focusing?" Nodding, I grabbed a lamp and held it high.

"I see… You don't expect anything other than picking up things. All you know _is_ to be tangible. Alright, first of all, stop thinking logically. Doesn't like to mix with ghost powers often. Think about how light goes through you, and so can objects." I frowned, then tried to focus on the fact that I was already sort of see through. It made sense to me, I was already somewhat invisible and intangible. It was a new angle I hadn't seen before but seemed organized enough for me.

Continuing to focus on the transparency of myself, I hoped the lamp would hit the floor. I waited a few more minutes, then I eventually heard the lamp hit the floor. I smiled, trying to pick up the lantern again while still focusing on being intangible. My hand passed right through it, and I smiled even wider.

"It'll take a while to learn how to control it. For now, activating intangibility is hard. The more you practice, the better you get at it. Eventually, you kind of come up with some sort of mental command and it works instantly. Same thing with invisibility. Just do that trick but expect light passes through you."

I frowned, since I knew not all light went through a ghost during invisibility. Only visible light did, to my knowledge. Infrared, the light used to see temperature, could still be used to find an invisible ghost. Still, I began to focus again. Doing so was a bit taxing on my mental energy, but it was fine. To learn an advantage before Lloyd could realize was crucial.

Slowly, I waited and waited before I finally heard Morro's clap of confirmation.

"I can't see you! You did it!" He cheered, and I smiled. I glanced down at my hands and found nothing. I supposed I would have to learn how to estimate where all of my limbs were while being invisible. Hard, but with practice could become a viable asset.

Fading back into the visible spectrum, I gave Morro a hug. Even though his collar burned against my own ghostly skin, his teachings were extremely valuable. How sad that I promised to help him, and all he was doing was helping me.

"It's really no problem. We all usually get a mentor in the Cursed Realm for a while before branching off." I stepped back, but still gave him a bow to show my thanks.

"Well, I guess all we can do is just sit here until Lloyd gets back." I shrugged again, sitting next to him. I wished I could speak, because this might be the last time I have a bit of freedom with Morro. With Lloyd's temper flaring at the littlest of things, this could end badly for both of us.

"It's not your fault. I know that face well." Morro frowned, and I looked at him sadly. It was all my fault, he just didn't know.

"It is _not_ your fault." I shook my head in response.

"Agree to disagree?" Morro proposed, knowing that this fight would get him nowhere. I smiled, showing my approval of the statement.

"Do you... Do you just want to enjoy our last moments of peace? I don't know what's going to happen next, and the longer we talk, the more I get worried. Well, it's your lack of talking that makes me afraid." Morro sighed, and I leaned against him It was my attempt at saying: 'Yeah, let's just relax while we can.'

Morro leaned back, understanding there was no way for me to talk and comfort him that way. I tried to think of the good days in my life, wishing that Morro could experience them with me. Closing my eyes, I gave out a sad sigh.

Memories buzzed in my head as I recalled the good things I did on Earth, and how I made friends with Morro in the Cursed Realm. The happy faces of other ghosts as they read their names, or partied hard as if they were drunk, but had nothing to get drunk with. Then I saw a flash of listening to the Harry Potter book I read to Morro, and then all of a sudden Morro jumped away from me.

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to, I-I was just thinking about… I didn't mean to I'm sorry…" He continued to mutter and sputter awkwardly as he stepped away from me. His aura was brighter than normal, which confused me. What did he have to be embarrassed of?

"O-oh. That's right… You don't really know what I accidentally did, did you?" Morro shyly asked, and I tilted my head.

"W-well… It's the human equivalent of k-kissing you. It's when you share memories with another ghost just by touching them or h-holding hands or something. Sometimes it can just be like telling a friend a dark secret too, but it's really personal and I'm sorry…" I blinked in confusion. It took me a second to let it all sink in, and then my own aura brightened. Awkwardly, I patted his left shoulder in an attempt to say it's okay for now, but we probably should avoid that in the future.

"Really, I'm sorry. I just haven't really been careful with my memories in the past, and I'm usually alone when I do that, forgive me…" I held onto his shoulder tightly in response while nodding.

"You… You don't think I'm bad for doing that?" I frowned. It was more like I invaded his mind, not the other way around. Personally, I believed that I was in the wrong for taking the memory in the first place. I remembered my anger at Neuro for snooping in my mind, now it was like I was in Neuro's place.

"No no no! It's not your fault, a ghost has to want to project their memories to get it to another ghost. When both ghosts that might be holding hands or whatever, want to share their memories, it kind of just happens. I saw you carving my name in the Cursed realm…" Oh. That makes it a bit more awkward. I tried to signal the Harry Potter book, and eventually Morro understood.

"So you saw when I listened to the Harry Potter books. Okay, I guess we'll just have to be a bit more careful in the future…" Morro reluctantly spoke, and I just nodded in response. Then we heard the jet outside, and both of our auras dimmed immediately. Offhandedly I made a note that auras must change due to emotions, but my mind focused on the fact that Lloyd was back.

After less than a minute, Lloyd managed to climb all the stairs.

Before us was a terrifying sight, as Lloyd carried with him with more deepstone chains and weapons, and a face that promised nothing but pain.

"Both of you are going to regret everything you've ever done."

* * *

 **More ghost culture and Lloyd being a jerk. Honestly, Lloyd's going to be a manipulative jerk for a good long while. Kind of comes with the trauma, you know. Don't worry, it only gets worse! :)**

 **Review, favorite, follow, share, whatever. HAVE A GREAT DAY!**


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